


Summer's Vale

by Elfen1012



Category: RWBY
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Future, Crimes & Criminals, F/F, F/M, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Multi, Politics, Racism, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-24
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2018-05-22 21:58:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 57,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6095308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elfen1012/pseuds/Elfen1012
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Twenty years of relative peace followed the defeat of Cinder and Salem, the scattered petals of beacon rebuild. As new threats follow in the old's foot steps, RWBY fights the old secret war while their children train in a rebuilt school. Still, they won't be children for long. A future AU following both RWBY and their children, the new team SVLR.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beacon Called

**Weiss Schnee**

     "The fact of the matter is simple, Mrs. Schnee, you need to come back to Roseland." Weiss' lips twitched at the request, finger reflexively tapping on the white leather of her snowflake crested armchair. She did not lean back, posture perpendicular and proper, there was no slumping of the shoulders, no evident weakness or reaction, even if underneath her muscles ached from a long, long day.

     "Captain Thrym, in the last ten years you have been in my employment you've never _needed_ anything. Leave the protesters alone, let them air their concerns, and in the meantime send the SDS to wipe every grimm around Mountain Glen from existence. Don't let them coalesce. Last thing we need is more uneasy people." The holographic image of the wolf faunus distorted as the second generation Thrym sighed in visual frustration, uncontained and sincere. This was probably what Weiss valued most in her security chief. "Your suggestion is under advisement. Good evening."

     The call ended, image fading, switching to the loading Schnee logo, a vibrant light show of whites and translucent blacks. No accounting documents, project proposals, or reports filled the waiting desktop, instead a ring once again interrupted, the secretary line on the bottom floor. "Mrs. Schnee, Knight-Captain Belladonna is here to see you," the young woman's voice carried a cheery soprano that only mildly annoyed her. The secretary's insistence on referring to Blake by such an arcane title likely did the same for her.

     "Pass her through." The display flashed the repeating logo again, reflecting Weiss' image back at her. She looked young, despite approaching forty. No lines on her face yet, baring the scar, if she was graying it's not like her hair would change. Sure, the signs of bags manifested under her eyes, but the Irises were still bright. She looked strong, authoritative, formal white dress clothes, both the coat and pants accented with touches of blue and red. The open collar displayed her neck, made her look taller than she was. Wasn't as freeing as a combat skirt, but her hunter's robes had their place outside the office. Weiss still had the pony tail, though its childish asymmetry was gone. No point in rebelling against the crown when she _was_ the crown.

     When the door opened, Weiss did not seize up, lift her shoulders, carry herself with more elegance than she lived with every day . Instead, she instinctually eased, just a little more. Blake made things easier, safer. "Are you here to give me a subpoena again?"

     "No," Blake stepped passed the doorway with an immediate grin, "I'm the chief of police, not an intern. Speaking of which, can you tell them to stop with the captain stuff? Honestly, it just makes convincing the public I'm not your puppet harder." Blake never aged past twenty-five, besides growing taller, criminally so. Her hair got longer with proportionally, more controlled and professional, though it occasionally parted over her left eye. She had abandoned the bow years ago. Ears up and alert, twitching with distant reverberations, Weiss often wondered what the world of sound was shaped like to them. Blake had kept her work outfits fitting of a hunter like herself. Arms wrapped in ribbon, sleeves rolled up on a black bullet proof jacket over a white dress shirt. She wore tight monochrome jeans with purple highlights for the most part, though slacks were not uncommon now that she forayed into politics. The centerpiece of the whole arrangement was the seal of Vale on her chest, overpowering her own nightingale crest.

     "I wish. You are far too nosey to be anyone's puppet, and moody, and god if the world understood how completely angsty you get for a woman in her late thirties," Blake found that funny apparently, her silent shuddering chuckle a familiar fixture of her personality, "As for the title, they just miss their captain, Blake. As do I, honestly." Weiss had learned to just be honest with her best friend. Years of drama, patching each other up, fixing the other's breaking relationship, or just muttering the dumbest, cheesiest things about their respective family lives did form a unique bond. "So what do you need?"

     "I miss you, too, Weiss," Blake replied, spinning one of the office seats around, near where she use to work every day before taking the position with Vale's finest. "Which is why I came to ask if you would like to grab some tea, perhaps at your place. Enjoy a ladies night in." The two of them worked endlessly with people, usually stressed-filled borderline shouting matches toxified by the fact that neither of them liked talking to people much in the first place. Nights out were not how Weiss and Blake spent their time together.

     "What's the occasion?" Weiss thought she already knew.

     "There is no occasion." Weiss absolutely knew.

     "I'm fine, Blake. Honestly, you don't need to fret, I'm not a child," but Weiss was a parent, and today as spring folded into sweltering summer, Beacon called for its junior huntsmen and huntresses to walk in their doors and become the next generation of warriors. A child leaving home was a moment of pride as much as anxiety, even if they chose to live close. Both Ruby and Weiss agreed that for Summer and Azura to grow, they needed to be one with their teams, even if it meant the halls of the Schnee estate be vacant save Weiss, the dust, and the memories.

     "You know, I cried the day Dawn left for Beacon," Blake admitted with not one change in expression or tone. Her amber cat eyes loaded as if with more experience than anyone could imagine. It was sweet smelling horse shit.

     "Liar," Weiss declared, considering at what angle she would need to throw her pen to hit her old teammate square on her lying mouth. Blake chuckled in place of a defense, "I've never seen a prouder mother. You practically kicked her out on the streets."

     "I still missed her," Blake countered, leaning back against the office corner wall. The space was empty, as was most of the office aside from holographic displays. Weiss prefered an austere work space. "Whenever the police need to go to Beacon, I always go personally, sneak a few seconds with her."

     "You know you can just visit her," Weiss muttered, rolling her eyes in mock indignation. It wasn't like the headmaster was going to throw the chief of police out of the school for Sunday brunch with a student, even if Weiss' niece might _detest_ the parental attention.

     "Yes, but that feels like admitting defeat," Blake clicked her tongue on the last syllable. That was the holy word, wasn't it.

     "We are so weak," Weiss joked, lifting herself up from the locked leather monster. Her knees felt relief as they locked into standing position, the body supporting its own weight for once. How long had she sat there working? It looked close to dusk now, the sun dropping down to near the tower's level, blinding the office's view of airships coming to and from. "I will, however, take you up on that offer, Blake. I swear, I've spent the last year on the phone trying to prevent children in suits from blowing up the planet." An exaggeration, Weiss noted, but it was taxing. Why must nothing be simple?

     "What now?" Blake asked, giving Weiss a moment to close shop. A flick of her hand sent every display inot scattered snowflakes before flashing back to darkness with the lights. Such a lifeless place. Flowers, maybe?

     "An anti-faunus protest group. They are claiming faunus criminals are stealing from Valen merchants in Mountain Glen and the authorities are ignoring it." Mountain Glen had been Vale's greatest national disaster, barring perhaps the battle of Beacon, the grey ruins and decay a famous staple of human failure. Ingenuity was the dominion of mankind, however, and Ruby Rose had whispered an idea to Weiss years ago, when the SDC first came into her power and began to hemorrhage funds. Armies couldn't protect Mountain Glen, but a sharp cliff shielded Vale for a millennium. Collapsing the famous tunnel from Vale to Glen and onto the sea made a false river so deep and so rapid that, when combined with a new rail on top of a defensive wall, cut a micronation from the grimm cloth of Remnant. The combined maidens powers and a legion of now unwanted Atlas Knights cleared out the rest. Together, RWBY birthed a new province of Vale, managed by the SDC and defended by the SDS, Schnee Defense and Security. Roseland.

     "The White Fang?" Never was there a phantom in life or death that haunted anyone more than the white and red wolf of the fang did to Blake. Mention of faunus organized crime smoked out hope from her eyes and made her visibly twitch. The demon died years ago, but it never was enough for Blake. Her wife's metallic hand made forgetting impossible.

     "No, the White Fang has never managed to get even an unofficial foothold in Roseland since we secured the territory. The protesters appear to be from Vale. Thrym is inclined to think someone is paying them to show up and cause controversy," Weiss declared, walking right passed Blake, typing away on her new scroll, a mail or two sent off telling the company in so few words to leave her the fuck alone.

     "True," Blake admitted with an uncomfortable sigh. Roseland had more faunus per capita than any major settlement on remnant. All of them looking and finding more freedom and opportunity under Schnee, and she delivered. Only lips that spoke of the Fang there were kids who never knew a damn thing, before being immediately scolded by wiser adults. "Are you planning on moving back?"

     "No," Weiss replied, annoyed at the question. Moving back to Vale enabled the kids to stay at home and go to Signal with just a short ferry ride. Everyone assumed Beacon meant the Schnee-Rose family would march all the way back to their new city. "I want to be nearby, at least for their first year."

     "Wimp," Blake whispered just loud enough for Weiss to hear, lips forming a happy crescent. The silver huntress scoffed in protest, walking right past her to the small executive floor. Passing the nodding desk clerks and the Vale regional executives, Weiss called up the chrome elevator, Blake sliding right in as it opened. "Don't walk away, I miss my little teammate even if you're a little on the wimpy side."

     "Aren't you suppose to be making me feel better, not harassing me?" Weiss complained, punching the lobby button. If Blake wanted to insult her they could do it at home, sitting on a couch doing something stupidly wasteful.

     "You can't be sad about Beacon if you're angry with me," the faunus shot back, nearly humming in self-satisfied hubris. "I think that since I'm personally giving you a police escort home, you can forgive a little teasing."

     "Oh now," Weiss sung, mocking the honor she had apparently received, "Does that mean we get to speed?"

     "If I put my lights on," Blake clarified, shifting auburn eyes towards her smaller friend, "and you don't tell on me."

* * *

**Yang Xiao Long**

     "Right side!" Always the right side, like the grimm could smell the metal end of her limb. Their mistake, Ember Cecilia was never a weakness.

     "I got it!" The boarbatusk spin tore up the grass and ground of the Emerald Forest, a tornado of black hide and white bone. Yang turned on her heel, sliding out of the trajectory, her right arm, the dark steel and plated gold, curled its mechanical fingertips around the beast's tusk. Its full body weight, powered muscles and perfected killing prowess, all of it thrown into the force of one single smash. The tug on Yang's right shoulder was enough to drag her, just a little, but Ember Cecilia, she didn't nudge, her grip as iron as the protective plates that shielded the black box circuitry within. With minimal effort, the blonde huntress slammed the boarbatusk back into the ground, sinking the ivory skewers into the Emerald Forest soil. The creature continued to squeal, body flailing around in the dirt. One quick pop to the belly with the other gauntlet silenced it, the black blood evaporating from the bursting wound. "Well, this one's a little gooey," Yang remarked of the boiling liquids. A pair of creeps tried sneaking up on her, but a swift burst from the robotic Cecillia pumped a scatter shot of dust through their tiny bodies.

     "Say cheese!" The flash of Velvet's camera might have been old, but it was never not uncomfortable. It was impossible to deny the sweet faunus girl. Time did nothing to wear at her quiet gentle ways, the girl barely changed. Still in bronze and gold colors, hair tied in a braid during combat, an acquired taste from Coco Adel.

     "Come on, give me more time next time, let me strike a cool pose." Yang didn't even know if her film was something you could even print, but if this was a photoshoot there was no excuse for looking shitty. "I'm not too old to be a model!" Velvet chuckled, finding a moment of fun in the doldrums of Beacon's yearly culling. Emerald Forest hosted the first year team selecting process, the mixture of fields, dense trees, and ruins allowed for a versatile fighting arena. However, kids were kids and grimm were grimm. A cleaning was ordered in secret for as long as Yang had been a huntress. Professors and bounty hunters selectively wiped out the larger nets and bigger pray. Not cleansing the area completely, but dwindling the numbers and normalizing the area.

     "I don't know if holding a photo shoot on duty is exactly what they paid us for," Velvet reasoned, her voice still dripped of her odd accent. Asking where she was from was long overdue.

     "Velv, we've off and on worked with each other for about ever, can I ask you something?" Yang was punctuated by the burst of distant support fire. Pyrrha's protective sniping adding to the atmosphere. Yang wondered how comfortable it might be at the top of the tower and not under the beating heat.

     "I'd think so Yan—" Shadows, less polite, interrupted Velvet. The airflow picked up, flapping wings of a nevermore pulling the emerald leaves with it as the riled beast passed. Explained the popping sound. "Neptune?" Velvet asked, casting her vote for blame.

     "Yeah," Yang agreed, commanding her arm with a single thought to reload, plates snapping open, a yellow glow heating up as mechanical parks slid in new scatter shot shells and spilt the old discharged onto the floor, "ready to roast a big chicken?"

* * *

     Best part of big nevermores is a lack in subtlety. They blacked out the sky with their bloated wings or pelted the ground with razor-like feathers, sharp enough for old tribes to make weapons out of them for as long as the bird lived, which with nevermores, could be a while. This particular creature kept flying in low circles, the smell of scorched plumes tainting the air behind its path, the shock rifle marks of one particular first year history professor. Its bombing feather runs brought it low into one of the many clearings carved into the forest, mostly by these very confrontations. The last pass before Velvet and Yang made it to the tree line ended in squawking shouts of pain from the nevermore, but the thing simply flew back up, so ravenous it could think of nothing else but continuing its assault.

     "Son of a—" Yeah it was Neptune, hair pulled back and greased with sweat he quickly slathered on his armored jeans. Not much about the kid had changed since their Beacon days, except for the stupid blue patch of fur on his chin and his now evaporated luck with women. "That nevermore has my goddamn halberd!" Explained the scream and Pyrrha's repetitive pops from a distance.

     "Hey Neptune, what's got your feathers ruffled?" Neptune's eyes were obfuscated by the dual yellow lenses of his goggles, but Yang could guess from the twitch in his cheek, the jokes were unwanted. "Well Velv, you got something to clip its wings?"

     Edging lines of light answered for her, the azure glow of Velvet's weapon crafting one of many tools she liked to save up. The circular revolving barrels and belt of holographic bullets appeared, a ghost of Coco's weapon of choice. "Give me a second." The spin up of a minigun would take a moment. The nevermore was not inclined to give it.

     "Incoming," Neptune warned, dodging with a quick half step and avoiding the bombarding points of the grimm's assault. Yang had enough, sliding on the black sunglasses she used whenever the summer flame began to burn. The day was hot, hot even for summer, enough to boil a girl in just a light vest and yellow scarf. Still not as hot as the light dragon herself, the maiden of summer.

     "I'm just done!" The metallic snap of her artificial fingers helped Yang focus the fire in her eyes and magic burning her blood. The feathers combusted as soon as they approached, ribbons of black torching into ash before they rained down on Velvet and Yang.

     "Ready!" The holographic bullets were real enough to split the flesh of the nevermore's right wing from its body, the limb falling to the ground, a stump dripping black grimm blood into the soil and mist into the air. The core of the beast lost its control of the sky, the halberd still lodged in its neck as it tumbled through the air, cracking hard against the forest floor. Dirt kicked up as it twisted and contorted on the ground, red beads burning with fury, unable to understand what had happened to its body. Yang was about to teach it what burning felt like.

     "Hey buddy," Yang shouted at her pray as she approached, a blood-orange hue spreading out from her eyes. The monster snapped its jaw, kicking up dirt and grass as the body convulsed, thirsty for one last meal. Yang rewarded it with a boot to the beak, a stomp pinning the marble grimm head to the earth. "Squeal all you want, you son of a bitch," Yang slammed the metal of her first into the bony skull of the nevermore, right between the eyes, every strike cracking the exoskeleton even more. With every scattershot the fissure greatened and the bird struggled more. Neptune held it down with his spear as the wound opened enough for Yang to get her last laugh. Another snap of the fingers and her mind birthed fire that spread through the wound, igniting the black blood like fresh dust. The smell of smoking bird was a sweet taste.

     "What did you do to attract this thing?" Velvet asked, wafting the smell away from her sensitive nose. She didn't like meat, much less a bonfire of dying grimm monsters.

     "Nothing, I just found a pack of creeps, started gunning them down, and then suddenly this bastard shows up," Neptune explained, pulling out the halberd from the now dead bird. The fire had cooked through the insides.

     "There are just too many creeps for this area," Velvet declared and Yang agreed, silently of course. "They aren't too dangerous for the students, but this isn't right; they shouldn't be here this close to the surface." Taking a second to breath, Yang felt the flame leave her lungs, the summer maiden power withdrawing deep into her gut. It wracked her body after using it, fired with energy and jitters even from a little thing like this. With a clear head, Yang could focus on figuring out why every subterranean maggot was summoned from the depths today.

     "Today has just been way too long," Neptune mumbled, pulling from his pocket a pack of smokes, an awful habit to have, and a deep craving reared up at the sight. Nothing made Yang want to smoke more than the maiden's power in her blood.

     "Hey Neptune," Yang cracked, reaching out a hand, "Pass one!"

     "Blake says you're not allowed to smoke," Velvet cut in. Moral police come to rat her out to the wife.

     "Actually, I'm not allowed to buy cigarettes, but bumming doesn't show up on our bank statements!" The mind is very good at rationalizing anything, and with a hearty laugh and a cracking grin, Yang was keen into rationalizing this, "Oh damn it, I have made, birthed, and raised an adult person since the last time anyone let me smoke. Come on!"

     "Yang, she's right," Neptune joked, pointing his pack like a knife at Yang. The blonde considered ripping off his blue fur as he moved his lips. "These deadly tar sticks are too dangerous, no one in their right mind should ever smoke. I'm gonna keep them for your own—" _Pop_. Neptune's pack burst apart, one bullet hole from the side facing Beacon and a gnarled mess of burnt paper and tobacco on the other, shredded from a sniper's shell. Neptune dropped it immediately. Velvet nearly dropped herself, bent over completely cackling. "Pyrrha! The hell!" Neptune tossed his hands up to the gods seated at Beacon tower. That was a really good shot.

     Yang groaned, leaning backwards, hands pressed on her lower back. The cold of her right hand no longer surprised her. Things were strange, not too dangerous, but strange. Dawn would run initiation tomorrow. Second time for her. Yang hated sensing something off when it was her daughter that would deal with it. The vanishing beast's blood, like ink, colored the spilt cigarettes, matching poisons calling each other. From where they mixed the head of a creep burrowed himself out of the ground. Pulled to the surface.

     Yang snapped her metallic fingers out of habit, eyes of fire burning once again.

* * *

**Ruby Rose**

     The mist made the Beacon tower light spread through the sky like an emerald flood. The shattered moon and last light of dusk all competed for the spatial command of the early evenings. Combined there was no room for stars. _Vale should be proud_ , Ruby thought, they competed with the heavens in a battle of light, their airships proudly cutting between the other sources and her view of the ether. The Schnee manor, despite its closeness to Beacon, and distance from the city center, was not immune to views of man's machines.

     Ruby kept her eyes searching for other lights. A southern summer cools quick in Vale's temperate air, oceans soaking up the heat and leaving salty winds. Dusk made for perfect sky and street gazing from the top of their three story monstrosity. Black slanted roofing between each floor with its Atlas style, triangle dormers gave Ruby a nice corner to squeeze in. Her red cloak a makeshift blanket with a few discolored patches and fraying rips. From that little nook, Ruby had a full view of the inner courtyard, an overzealous packing of red and white bricks, forming an oversized Schnee logo with a fountain at the center. Why Weiss insisted on this lavishness was absurd. She rarely used the second floor at all. With bedrooms on the third and dining at the first, there wasn't need for the wings. Aside for her garden. Weiss deserved that greenhouse of hand kept flowers, deserved whatever she wanted. Ruby just hated the silence now, the house absorbed all sound, the third floor deaf without Summer or Azura. Ruby could not stand it.

     White light. Beams approached the outer gate, automated security knights stopping the two sedans that approached, both black with separate vinyl designs. One Schnee logo, Weiss, the other police sirens and emblem of the great Kingdom of Vale, Blake. "Yes," Ruby whispered to the air as the gate opened and the automatons let them pass into the property.

     Both slowed to a stop under the parking canopy, both cars turning off and lights shutting down. Didn't take long for chatter to start after the daily commute. Weiss mostly, expression marred with tired annoyance, whined about the shifting whether from blistering hot to chilled over a handful of hours. She was so pretty. Ruby slapped a finger on her lips as soon as she saw Blake. With that faunus, especially in the dark, the rule was simple: if you saw her, she saw you. The flash of moon lit amber proved her right, but the police chief said nothing to Weiss. _Good teammate._

     "You're still relying on automated security?" Blake complained, winking at their former leader's rooftop HQ. Weiss groaned, Ruby thrilled to see her so distracted. The faunus truly was the best spy of their group.

     "I told you last time, security threats are a complete minimum and the Atlas Knight are mostly there for convenience, to be honest," Weiss retorted, unlocking her front door with her scroll. She didn't notice the rush of sudden wind, the light drop onto stone, lost in thought. The give away came in a little red petal drifting onto the bridge of her nose. "Ruby?!"

     "Weiss!" The younger woman struck from behind, latching onto her wife with a two weeks starved desperation. Quick to drink in all the smells of Weiss' hair, the feel of her figure, of her body, despite the layers of clothes and overworked stress. Ruby clutched her partner of over twenty years. It never got less needy, less consuming, even if she got a lot better at hiding it in front of polite company. Blake not included, she could watch them be dumb. She'd seen them do worse... much worse.

     "God damn it you loveable idiot, you scared the hell out of me!" Weiss complained, covered in Ruby, her body easily out growing the shortest member of the team over time. Despite the height difference the huntress was happy to dig her face into the white of Weiss' neck, wild shoulder length, red and black hair getting just about everywhere when she did it.

     "Hello, Ruby," Blake made herself known despite growing more than use to the pair's open affections. Not that she and Yang were much better in their younger and crazier days. "Looks like I picked a bad day, we'll have tea another time Weiss."

     "No!" Ruby declared, letting go of her tiny, adorable wife. Spinning on her heel, Ruby came full circle with arms open and out for a big old embrace. Blake was not leaving tonight. It was time for a hug. "Come on buddy, bring it in!"

     "It's only been two weeks, Ruby." Blake still accepted the hug, the Long-Rose sisters had shattered any aversion she might have had for physical contact over the last couple decades. Blake passed Ruby in height just barely, embracing her for a moment before breaking. I _f only Yang were here_ , Ruby l **a** mented, _or anyone else for that matter_. The front lock snapped open, and an exhausted Weiss had done well enough waiting, climate controlled air and loving couches awaited inside.

     "Wait, Weiss, stop being a butt!" Ruby chased after her in a swift second, petals blowing into the house as she caught up to her. The place was unchanged in her fortnight departure. Wooden floor refused to creak even a little least Weiss rip it up, stairs opened to the right towards empty guest rooms and conference halls, another floor to the domicile domain. Below and passed the extended foyer, a room used for nothing besides a pair of black leather love seats and a gray old Atlas Knight Ruby started calling Jim.

     "Calm down, I'm making tea," Weiss called from the kitchen and living room, the only part of the first floor to get much use other than Ruby's weapons workshop in the right wing and the library behind the stairs. Holographic display popped on with an illusionary fire, all their white cloth covered seats faced it in worship. Blake passed Ruby and started to assist Weiss with the boil, leaving Ruby to sway and wander, eventually finding comfort on the bar stool.

     "What do you want from me, sweetie?" Weiss asked, refusing to look at her. She historically perfectly straddled the line between loving and pissed.

     "Your undivided attention," Ruby requested with an open grin, a little embarrassed with how cheesy she got in the consistent comfort of marriage, "once you finish your tea, of course."     

     "You are an extremely old and affectionate child, _but okay_ ," Weiss whispered the end, causing Blake to snort down a laugh. The Schnee ignored it, flashing her controlled smile and intense blue eyes at Ruby instead. They turned a dreary dark, the smile vanished. "Ruby, what happened to your face?" Weiss's tone had years of command experienced lined with it, hand reaching out, slender digits gracing the gauze bandage over her right jaw.

 _Shit, you forgot to change the gauze_ , Ruby chided herself knowing the red stained gauze patch was subtly guarded by the red of her cloak, but with their matching color horrifying once discovered. "Hey, don't worry, it looks worse than it is. Doctor says it won't even scar." Just bleed a lot, the tight skin of the face always did.

     "What happened?!" Weiss was not in the habit of repeating herself. Ever.

     "I screwed up trying to get the attention of a goliath, maybe a little too hard. He swiped me when I wasn't ready. Just screwed up rushing the job," Ruby admitted, feeling a little ashamed considering how long she'd been at this work. The beastly grimm rarely crossed with hunters, but the times Ruby had, usually the younger foolish ones separated from the pack, she had dispatched them without so much as a scratch... well at least started doing that in her thirties.

     "What the hell were you doing fighting a Goliath? Or rushing?" Weiss' demands continued, fingers still picking at the dry blood crusted throughout the cloth.

     "It was a job. A Goliath got separated from a herd north of Vale, started charging straight through villages, running for something. Couldn't get it to stop till I jumped on its face. And well," Ruby gently slapped her bloody cheek. Weiss must have felt the sting for her, because it was the Schnee who winced in pain. "Second try involved a railgun and some fast footwork, but I certainly made it stop." Ruby smiled, proud of herself for the kill. Lucky she thought to bring one of the many side weapons she had collected, a railgun-great sword called the Royal Charlie.

     "You are such an idiot," Weiss chastised, shaking her head, teeth resuming an unhealthy grin, "what possessed you to rush _that_?"

     "I wanted to be home today," Ruby pulled back, instinctively tugging at her cloak, fighting the urge to choke on it, "I wanted to, you know, say goodbye to Summer and Azura before they go to Beacon. Have some family time." Instead, she lost half a day getting stitches in a tiny town practically built on the ruins of the previous tiny town. They did it for free, perks of being a huntress, but time, time burned away. Trying to save it cost double. It was her fault. "No one was here when I got home. They left already, didn't they? I missed them?" Ruby didn't bother looking either of her teammates in the eye, she already knew, watching the clenching of her hands was about all she was willing to do. Her dad had stayed to say goodbye, and mom, if she could have... she wouldn't have made that mistake. "I'm kind of a sucky mom, huh?"

     "Oh shut up, you baby." The softness of Weiss' hands felt counter to the words she spoke. Gently, her thumb wiped at the welling water drops in her eyes, little affections were her specialty. A sweet kiss to the forehead began to wash away the constricting vines around Ruby's heart. This shit always got to her, a personal paranoia. "Summer barely said two words before driving off, she is too old to want anything to do with us. Azura left right after. They are one very cheap airship ride away."

     Ruby breathed, emotions cooling down slowly, even as the tea heated up. "Ruby, I hate to ask, but you said you were north of Vale? The only goliath herd north of Vale are weeks away. How did one get so far away?" The pop and hiss of a kettle drove a stake through the conversation, all eyes snapping back to the stove top. "Shit, let me take care of that," Blake added, pulling the kettle off the burner, and the topic off the table.

* * *

**Summer Schnee**

     ' _Do you think I'm ready to lead mom?'_

     ' _Leadership isn't being prepared, it's being what you need to be when you need to be it. So I guess, go find out. Hope to see you tomorrow! :D'_

     The vibration that charged through Bucephalus' frame got rougher up the near ninety degree cliffs that separated Beacon from the rest of the city. Taking the motorcycle with her meant also taking the ferry to her new school and riding up the criss cross supply path, one side of her body facing the wide river that split Vale down the center, second the thunder of rapids running out of rock, Beacon's personal waterfall, and the sharp incline of rock.

     "Thanks for the ride," Azura mumbled into to their older sister's back, passenger helmet smacked up against the plate of Summer's armor. Just them and Bucephalus meant this old white motorbike had two duffel bags hanging off the sides and tied backpacks on the rear. Thankfully, mother had shipped most of their necessities to Beacon directly, headmaster holding them till dorm assignments were passed out.

     "You could have taken the airship, you know?" Summer replied, driving to the top of the final stretch. Dusk was beginning, the last few shipments of new students were flying above them, metal buses sailing through the air. It was time. "Azura, look." The slope's edge ended, Beacon's tower coming into view. The monolith visible from every corner of the city stood in an unbroken rebellion against the dark, the green torch lit, calling the next generation of fighters to descend into its halls. Arches and wings shot off from the core campus. Dining room dome pronounced, the dorms packed on the opposite times, separated by year and nationality. The statue of hunters unchanged happily watched over the rushing students blurs of faunus and human would-be hunters.

     It was not the only monument. A stone dragon built in memorium of disaster wrapped its body around the center tower, mouth reaching for the light, ready to snuff out its prize. A warning, against comfort, against carelessness. The beacon must be kept alight.

     "Are you ready for Beacon?" Didn't matter, ready or not, Beacon called.


	2. The Impossible

**Summer Schnee**

_I dream of ice and snow, the way it drifts up is all I need to know it's infact a dream. I'm not myself, not as I know myself. My armor is thicker, older, no emblems, just black iron and brown furs. My weapons are not my own, two swords that feel alien in my hands, even as I walk with them firmly like it's my millionth mile. I know how to step in my boots, crunching the ice down with each step. I have never done prior. The path is contained by blurred evergreens that bare no life. It smells like the grimm of Mountain Glenn's ruins beyond the river, just outside the new city, my home. I can hear wolves, wind, and a rumble I cannot feel._

_And then there is the woman._

" _This fairy tale ends in a dragon." She comes to me in nightmares that drown in white petals. She is taller than me, a fur cloak burnt at the ends and a platemail that glows alabaster and blue between the distorted seams of light. I never see her face, obscured by a grim mask of moonstone, colored with hints of red and black slits for eyes, the bottom curved up in tusks like a goliath. Only reminders that she is not a grimm are the silver hairs that spill beyond the mask and the pale skin of her neck. As a little girl she frightened me, now she just annoys me. "It will eat you, little tomb princess."_

' _Go to Hell!' I learned long ago, in these distorted dreams painted on petals, I cannot speak, not in this borrowed body. Sometimes she understands me anyways, she has the script, I presume._

" _Tell me hunter, what will you do then?" I turn to her, she is not there, there is only my tracks. I hate dreams. Growling follows, and when I look back, a meadow that failed to exist prior greets me. It sits before a mountain with a blurred top, a crack between snow smeared evergreens and a hazy smoke sky. Beowolves blacker than any in the waking world growl at me, no masks, and mouths blood red._

" _The impossible." I'm not sure if the me I am, or the me I dream I am said it, but the words were permitted and the wolves came running._

"Alright Bucephalus, go park somewhere for now." The chrome bike flared its blue lights as the rudimentary AI received the command and acted. Spinning out of Beacon's pedestrian heavy courtyard, Summer and Azura were left to take the path alone, the long grey stretch between spiral towers. Each stone arrow turned to pins at the top, countless little fountains splattered on both sides of the roads, and spined flying buttresses connected every building on the school grounds.

In the same motion, Summer pulled her fur lined hood down. The connecting helmet telescopically folded away with it and her silver hair could be loosened from the bun that driving restricted it to. The strains drifted down and matched the chrome of her chest plate and arm guards. Her revolver cannon greatsword magnetically locked to her back, duffle bag of essentials tossed over a shoulder. The young Schnee was ready to meet her destiny, her peers, her future rivals and allies. "So~" Azura's sing-songy voice crashed an ursa through Summer's beautifully plotted life plan, "Where we going?"

"I'm going to find Odyssia and scout out the new first years, _you_ can do whatever _you_ want," Summer lectured as she began her trek down Beacon's main path into the school's famous square, "Emphasis on _you_." Azura might grumble, but it was the best plan for finally escaping their shell and meeting new people. Like, real human people friends, not wild frogs with random assigned names the kid would catch at Signal.

And of course, Azura did grumble. "That means I should come with. I'm a first year, too! Odyssia probably misses me just as much. Think she'll be on our team together, and her brother? It'll be perfect!" The younger sibling's machinations put a smile on their face, one Summer rarely saw, hidden by the constantly flipped up blue cloak and hood. Azura was smaller than Summer, which was refreshing, considering the gods hadn't done Summer many favors in the height department, but not unusual, noting the the two year age difference. The dark color of Azura's black vest and baggy pocket pants made packing easier with all these little pouches and straps, perfect for storing an on the go dust workshop. The most attention grabbing feature of the kid, along with the rather mom-esque blue hair highlights, was their sleeveless pale arms, mostly for the vibrant roses and snowflake dust tattoos that grew from every exposed corner.

"Don't you think you should find someone else to leech onto? You know a _new_ friend?" Summer pressured, not really wanting four more years of babysitting. As they both came closer to the main structure, passed the famed hunter statue, and towards the infamous dragon monument the stone walkway grew busier. Students crowding from either side, most likely new, same as them. These strangers were abound with new possibilities for the both of them.

"Pfft, no that's dumb," Azura retorted with a snort, quick to step in front of Summer, one hand carrying a small suitcase and in the other a rifle spear affectionately named Fortuitous Druid, "Why do you think I skipped my way into Beacon? So me and you can conquer the world and I can kick the whole social anxiety can down the road a little while longer!" Azura kept walking backwards. Summer weighed the pros and cons of watching the kid ram directly into someone.

"Are you sure it's a good idea not to look where you're going?" Summer offered as the only warning, ready to watch a fool walk off a cliff and laugh.

"Are you insulting my squirrel-like situational awareness?" To even start answering that question, Summer would first need to know if 'squirrel-like' counted as a positive attribute for anything, "I am a back walking master!" Azura continued, ignorant of the girl directly in their path. Summer decided to let the chips fall, but watching Azura twirl that spear rifle around, the barrel landing right on the younger sibling's shoulder, pointing out and directly at the faunus stranger, Summer regretted it.

"Watch ou—"

A clang of metal swiping at metal ruptured the air, Fortuitous Druid knocked nearly out of Azura's hands. The faunus girl was apparently more squirrel than Azura, though judging from her black bull horns that wasn't literal. The threat caused one swift reflexive motion, the girl's odd hilted katana unsheathed and having struck back in the same move. Her eyes were hidden by dark sunglasses that matched the black of her suit and seemed to shift with every inch towards red. The end hue matched her long, wavy hair as well as twin shin and arm guards, painted steel scales tied down to bamboo. Summer might have had time to admire the white rose bush design that stretched out from the corners of her top, but judging from the way her palm pressed against the back of her sword handle and the blade point was zeroed in on the aggressor's throat, Summer needed to de-escalate immediately. "Is that how you say hello?!" that faunus asked, accented by some sort of foreign language.

"Summer," Azura was screwed, "Summer!"

"Alright!" Babysitting again. Excalibur was decoupled from the Schnee heiress' back, right hand all she needed to drop that bomb of a sword. One hefty swing from the shoulder, the curved tip cracking the ground. Rather than stabbing, it sent a warning in a shattering ripple. Back off. "You got a problem with my sibling?"

"She tried to stab me? I think my _problem_ is quite justified." The faunus shifted stances for a heftier opponent, both hands on the foreign katana, raised from low stab to center position.

"It's actually just Azura Rose. If you could please stick with that I'd be really, you know, grateful. It's also nice to mee~" the youngest among them started and drifted into an inaudible mumble, happy to hide behind Summer and that blue hood as always. The dumbest thing about this whole confrontation to Summer was that Azura was probably more scared of talking to the faunus than the slightly curved sword she was pointing at them.

"I don't care," she snapped back, knowing Azura couldn't, "back off—"

"Hey kiddos!" A voice, a familiar voice that bordered between unnervingly smooth silk and mocking enthusiasm, interrupted. The voice of Dawn Bella-Long. "Wanna see a magic trick?" Both fighters turned from each other to this interloper, a cat faunus with two smoky blue flames that devoured aura off each hand and amber light in her eyes. _Oh no._ "Abra-kadabra!" Dawn smashed the two balls together and they burst apart into a flash of light, enough smoke and ash to fill Summer's nose, mouth, eyes, clothes, probably about ten other places she'd discover one by one over the course of the next few showers. This was not a fun magic trick.

"The hell!" Summer choked in the smog, never quite sure if she said it or just coughed incoherently. Hands nabbed her, a strong arm pulling at her collar and giving her a throw. Summer knew better than to fight it, letting herself land comfortably in a courtyard bush, her bag, Excalibur, and Azura landing nearby. "It's been five minutes and I've been in an explosion and a street fight. I blame you entirely, Azura."

"I can accept that," the Rose child uttered, rolling out of the bush and into the dirt.

"To be fair, that hardly counts as a street fight," Dawn interrupted, strutting in to see if her cousins survived the escape. "Now try to hush incase she followed us." Summer opened her mouth to reply, but Dawn raised a fingerless gloved hand for her to stop. The girl looked and dressed like sunlight. Tanned skin from a UV rich life going well with her long, black curly hair highlighted in gold streaks. From her yellow vest, white sports shorts, and dark robe that hugged her single armored shoulder and opposite leg, she dripped of the sky. She always had a cunning smile, amber eyes watching since they were little, cat ears small, but as alert as her mother's. "Sorry, need a sec. I can only make the blue fire when I'm bummed, so," her chest rose and fell, likely cycling out whatever memories let her do the smoke trick on command. "I'm good."

"Dawn, thanks," Summer started awkwardly. The two of them hadn't really kept up much. Talked during family gatherings, but since she left for Beacon a year ago, nothing. Which made the recent news even more...troubling. "I heard what happened with the test. I'm sure it was a mistake." Dawn Bella-Long was the top fighter her last year in Signal, she was talk of the school after getting her own team DAWN. Dawn Bella-Long failed all her first year finals.

"Nah," Dawn replied, brushing the soot off her clothes and gold plated wrist guns. She didn't even flinch, not a wince or a shrug. "I totally bombed it, don't worry." That just made everything another level of strange.

"If you failed, those tests are dumb!" Azura grunted, rolling around dismayed. Their older cousin was always a bit of a distant hero to them, even if Dawn was fairly absent. It tugged out a chuckle, just a little happy glint in her cat eyes.

"Or maybe I just wanted to hang out with you nerds." She winked at the younger sibling, quick to turn on her boot heel, done with the trouble two Rose-Schnee children brought to the world.

"Dawn, wait!" Azura called out, flipping onto their feet with no trouble, "So what do we do now?"

"Probably go to the ballroom with the other first years. Try your best to stay out of trouble and prepare for one hell of an initiation tomorrow." Dawn turned her head back, a grin pulling at her lips and a hand running through her streams of black and gold. "Oh, and welcome to Beacon."

* * *

"Summer!" The death grip of toned Amazonian arms made for one hell of a vice, especially if said woman was Odyssia Nikos. "Oh my god, you beautiful little mini-Schnee, I've missed you so much!" Standing at six one out of heels, she passed Summer by nearly a foot. Every bear hug meant being dangled, toes scraping for a floor that did not exist, especially out of her bulked up armor and in simple silk silver pajamas.

"Odyssia, no!" Summer practically choked on the ribbons of fire hair her best friend let loose down to the bra strap. Being anyone's rag doll didn't fly with Summer. She was the same height of the great Weiss Schnee at five five, _in heeled boots_ , and no one made fun of her!

"Odyssia, yes!" the assailant replied, squeezing Summer tighter against her aqua colored nightgown, a perfect match for her eyes. This enthusiasm was expected. The pair had always been inseparable since Summer was first introduced to the six year old kid of her mom's co-worker. She couldn't believe that the awkward kid in the short bowl cut and cargo shorts would end up spending every vacation with the Schnee family, becoming her best companion, not to mention being one of Signal's best huntresses. Though they spent the last three months apart, they never skipped a day without scroll mail. Being able to see her waiting with their peers in Beacons ballroom turned campground with a few extra chandeliers, to see what she was growing into each day, was honestly awesome. Summer smiled, happy to see Odyssia be more and more herself, well would've, if _someone_ put her back down.

"My turn!" Azura proved useful for once, arms outstretched in a size too small beowolf styled T-shirt, blue cotton pajama pants, and of course the hood. Never without the hood. Where else to hide? Odyssia had a weakness for the youngest of their childhood crew, freeing Summer and snatching up the kid.

"It's great to see you, little one!" Azura seemed to enjoy that tight squeeze, giggling as Odyssia pressed them together in one big bear hug. Summer had to admit, the whole scene was a little cute.

"Yo, Summer," a surprisingly soft male voice reverberated from Odyssia's identical twin brother, "Been a while, bud." Odyssia was a giantess, but Rouge Arc maxed out with a few more inches, granted by unblocked testosterone and a primarily protein diet that could not be good for any living creature. His hair was just as fire red as his sister's, though it spread down the side burns all the way to the chin in meticulously trimmed patches. The boy was only a little slovenly in a white tank top that showed off the arms he worked so hard on. Still, Rouge was an alright guy, never as close to Summer as Odyssia, but always cool. He had the same soft blue eyes, wielded only by the gentle souls of the Arc-Nikos family.

"Good to see you, Rouge." Summer happily returned a fist bump as soon as he held out his own. His damn hand seemed twice the size of hers.

"I heard you and sis are planning on getting teamed up? Any room for me?"

"I think I can open a space, seeing as you can bench press an airship," Summer joked, punctuating with a click of her tongue. Neither her mother Weiss, nor her mom Ruby, told her jack-shit about how the selection process was structured aside from it being teams of four and that it was connected to initiation. Weiss claimed there was 'no way to game it.' Tough shit, that just meant gaming it required their combined brilliant minds. "Leaves one opening. Odyssia have you noticed any suitable candidates?"

"Me!" Azura announced, still clutched onto the shorter twin like a sloth finally home among the treetops. Apparently detaching was too much effort, Odyssia didn't fight it even for a second.

"There is the one rabbit faunus from our graduating class. I think her name was Hera Adel?" Odyssia offered. Neither paid much attention to the top incoming students. Half the first years were foreign. Looking over the sea of people, blankets, laid out sleeping bags, and assorted pillows of every color and shape, Summer only recognized a hand full. "I assumed we'd let chips fall where they may."

"Me!" Azura called out again, migrating onto Odyssia's back like a pack. The girl reached behind to pat that messy blue and black hair, but did not address that.

"Is the Hera girl cute?" Rouge asked, earning twin glares. His head recoiled back from the sharp glances, quick to cross his arms for protection. "Oh come on, don't look at me like that. Summer, you have just as much of a vested interest as I do."

"I'm cute!" Azura argued, but no one was listening.

"I mean, he's not wrong," Odyssia defended, tossing her brother a safety net he mistook as victory judging by his confident chuckle. Summer would forgive his insolence for now, but team SOR? was teetering off towards SO?.

"I'm not wrong!" Azura seemed fainter with every interruption.

"Ignoring _that_ ," Summer spat, putting her cool hands to her face, thumbs rubbing her two temples for relief, "The only other options I've seen are my cousin Dawn and a bull faunus that while I will admit," Summer paused to swallow her pride, "she's pretty hot. I do not think she'd be very cohesive to our team make up." _Also, we may have almost stabbed her._

"Don't spend much time on that, Summer." For as long as Summer knew Odyssia Nikos, she knew her mother, Pyrrha Nikos, and no one walked with a lighter step, not even Knight-Captain Belladonna. "It'll end up surprising you the people you might be teamed with." Despite the fancied appearance, a short, split black dress open at the front to keep the burden of tripping off her armored bronze boots. Combined with a brown leather enforced corset over a black turtleneck, Pyrrha was a fashion bombshell for her age, yet she could always sneak up on Summer. Not even the blood red eyes or matching flat, tailbone length locks of hers ever seemed to impede her ability to shock anyone.

"Mom," Odyssia blurted, not the type to be tricked by anything, "I mean, Professor Nikos, I didn't notice you enter."

"I was here before you, sweetheart," Pyrrha chuckled into her bronze armored hand, a wonder she could survive summer heat in so many layers, "And mom is just fine for now, I don't become your dueling instructor until tomorrow. I just wanted to wish you good luck, and warn against scheming. Tomorrow's partners will be decided by who you see first, not who you've known the longest. If we all got the partners we intended, I would have been on your mother's team, Summer." Considering how her parents met, Summer lucked out with silver eyes instead of red and avoided an even paler complexion.

"So, what you're saying is make sure I see Summer first?" Odyssia quipped, the classic twinkle of a plan growing in her eyes. Scheming came next to breathing, eating, and hunting, on her list of natural fortes. The off-center grin on her otherwise soft features gave Odyssia away.

"No, I'm telling you to stop _that_ ," Mrs. Nikos countered, ruffling the more lively red of her daughter's wavy hair. If the metal gauntlet felt cold to the touch, the younger woman didn't seem to mind, slapping away her parent's hand with only a hint of red coloring her cheeks. "Azura, do me a favor tomorrow and keep my kids out of trouble. I think my daughter's tricked your sister into walking them off a cliff."

"Can do, bronze mom!" Azura giggled out as the dueling instructor of Beacon walked toward the other professors. Eyes were already being pulled towards the group, the slight hint about tomorrow garnering unwanted attention.

"Well, looks like everyone knows now, so we ne—"

"Excuse me," a professor called uniform attention from the onlooking audience, a sturdy faunus woman dressed in a mix of a red hued brown and gold. Her eyes looked like little chocolates and rabbit ears popped out between her hair. "My name is Velvet Scarlatina, a professional huntress for just over two decades, and your first year wilderness survival professor. On top of that lovely schedule, I'm in charge of the freshmen dorms here at Beacon. As you all adjust to being away from home, don't be afraid to come see me. I'll be staying on campus for the first two weeks, but my office will always be open afterwards." Summer could tell she was a mother, just had that way of speaking. Gentle, but not without a tight woven authority, inked with the flavor of some foreign land, too. "I will be seeing everyone that passes initiation tomorrow, but before we close up here tonight, I'd like to introduce you to our interim Headmaster, Mr. Arc."

Mr. Arc, Summer knew. He took his position on stage without the same heavy persona as professors Nikos and Scarlatina. He looked quite like he always did with the as much added class as you could really pull out of an unbuttoned ivory jacket, a thin chestplate, and slacks. He was approachable at least, messy blonde hair curled slightly despite attempts to slick it back and the most unfabricated smile Summer had seen on anyone. The emblazoned cane was a bit much.

"First of all, and this might seem a little weird, I mean it is a little weird, but follow me on this," Mr. Arc coughed his punctuation, one hand on the cane the other moving between his mouth and his pocket, "Whenever my kids, I have two of them, they're in your class, too, but I can't get on that. I could gush about them for hours," Odyssia feigned puking, Rouge laughed, and Summer tried hard not to, "but you see, whenever they do something big, you know, I like to tell them. I tell them 'I'm proud of you'. You never really know when someone's going to need that, to remember, well, that they're incredible. Well, I'm here to say that to all of you. I'm proud of you, for passing entrance exams, for getting through your years of Signal or any of the other hunter's junior schools. I'm proud to be up here, and I'm proud of you, for earning the spot with us.

"But, you see, I need to ask something of you now. I need all of you to do the impossible, and let's not pretend it isn't the impossible. I'm asking you all to be heros." His fatherly voice had slowly shifted a little, not completely becoming something else entirely, but hinted at it, serious. "I know that's weird, isn't it? Well, you see, when Headmaster Ozpin left things in Headmaster Branwen's hands, it must have been so impossible, so hopeless. Wasn't easier after he passed and left it in Headmaster Goodwitch's hands. Now, it sure as hell—can I say 'hell'?" Pyrrha shrugged. "Well, it was sure as heck impossible when she retired and gave me the position. I wasn't top of that list, and I wish I could say I wasn't the bottom either. It's impossible for me to lead like those heros. Being a hero though, is by definition breaking that possibility space. So, that's what I'm going to have to ask of you. Break it, sacrifice your pain, your time, maybe even your life. I'm asking you to be huntresses, huntsmen, hunters, each and every one of you. To beat back the darkness till you shatter. So, let's do it. Let's do the impossible, you and I. Let's keep this fire lit a little while longer." By the end, there were no more murmurs, some coughs, maybe a whisper, but mostly nothing but dead air, trapped between grim and hopeful. "Thanks for your time. Sleep well, you'll need your energy."

Headmaster Arc, smiling and swinging his cane, stepped off the stage and brought life back into the room. Everyone was talking, mostly about selection. Professor Nikos spilled some secrets, and her husband stirred the rest up with a, to use his words, weird speech. "Alright, so like I was saying, I got a plan," of course Odyssia did, "Excalibur can still fire a flare, right?"

"Not exactly a flare, but in practice, yes," Summer answered, intrigued already.

"Tomorrow, when we arrive, first thing you do is fire that improvised light show straight up, and I, using my perfect sense of direction, will find you. Barring an indoor maze, that should set us up perfectly." _Well, that's… simple._ The fox grin of her's felt a little unearned considering the scheme had about two steps. "Sound good?"

"It's doable, don't leave me waiting for long."

"I wouldn't think of it," Odyssia mumbled barely over the natural white noise of forty or so teenagers locked in a single room. "Mind coming with me, I need to go to the bathroom and I'd like to not walk somewhere I shouldn't. Least not without my partner in all things less than reputable." Snatching Summer's hand, the young Schnee gave her a glare of distrust. Odyssia Nikos did not scare this easily. Despite the suspicion, best friend code demanded she go and Summer nodded.

"Guess we're screwed, little one," Rouge's words to Azura were the last clear sounds inside the Beacon ballroom, Odyssia was quick to drag her outside in the open air. Vale's night cooled quickly, the atmosphere outside devoid of the crowds, the body heat, or the noise. It replaced them all with stars and a shattered moon.

"Why are we rushing!? Are you okay?" Summer asked, while trying not to trip on Odyssia's longer strides. The taller girl seemed to ignore this, typing away at her scroll, walking them further and further from the ballroom, the pillared paths of Beacon, and from the bathroom.

"Yeah, I just really hope I'm the first one to catch you tomorrow. Plenty of people would love to be teamed up with the princess of Mountain Glen." The title slid right down Summer's back and made her shudder, she hated it, hated the connotation, hated how often it was used by friends and enemies.

"I'm not the princess of anything—" Odyssia whipped around, she was beaming, the message on her scroll was why. The hand that once tugged at Summer now rested firmly on Odyssia's hip, the other one holding the holographic display. One message.

' _Don't read this outloud. Plenty of people want you, so don't fire it straight up, fire it at 45 degrees, directly south. I can eyeball the math, find you, and everyone else? They will be standing by a flare with all the rest, seeing each other. First one, right?'_

"Yeah," Summer laughed. _Alright, you've earned your damn grin._ "Just got to trust your plan, I guess."

* * *

_They bleed petals. Crimson flowers burst from where I stab the monsters of my dreams. In the sleep realm, I have no semblance, no aura, I do not feel the support of hefty Excalibur in my hands, but I do have steel swords. They cut and the dream wraiths bleed their roses._

_I kill many, though not without securing wounds. My back is carved with claws, but I have not died, not yet. When they come I cleave, block then strike. One bites onto my shoulder, I impale his heart. One clutches my arm, so I dispatch his. I have never fought with twin swords before, yet I know how. I will forget when I awake, lest my nightmares be helpful for once._

_I don't know how many I kill, how long I fight. Their bodies accept every strike, no resistance to the blade as I open them into blanket segments of pure red, nothing of substance inside their ghostly forms. One comes close, its hand opening me up, the claws slipping between the folding plates of black iron that protect my stomach. My blood is not petals, rivers of copper heat run through the ink fingers of the beast. I am suddenly tired, and I find this funny for a dream. The beast roars, and I gift the point of my right hand into its top jaw, angled right through and between the red firefly eyes._

_He does not vanish like a proper grimm, and I just hack at the offending limb. For the first time, the flesh doesn't give, my full body into swing after swing to free the limb. By the time the wrist gives, I cannot walk, two steps and I drop, my knees sinking into the meadow of snow. I feel the heat run past the black paw splitting me and drip onto the melting ice. Cold, dying. I see a wolf watch me from a ridge that did not previously exist, her white fur is matted and cracked by scars. Eyes mismatched in blue and red. She howls. A great beast begins to split the trees. I swear I hear hooves clap behind me. Lightning snaps the sky in two._

I wake up, sweat sticking white petals to my body.

* * *

 

**Jaune Arc**

"So, collect the artifacts, come back, don't get too hurt, and use your own landing strategy. Anyone need a repeat?" The question was more of a courtesy than anything else. The launchers were already picking off the bottom of the row, dumping students into Emerald Forest. Still, Jaune prefered to walk the line, looking into each and every one of his future students. Felt rude catapulting kids at monsters otherwise.

Rouge was up next, legs loose to absorb the blow. Shirtless as ever, preferring freed muscles, he wore a bronze and leather sleeveless chestplate and an old Mistral styled male hide battle skirt. The style was a little outdated, but so was his weapon, the family blade. Honestly, it was just kinda weird to Jaune, being physically smaller in every way to his kid. Life's funny. "So dad, is landing strategy short for 'figure out how to fall good'?"

"See son, you're already way ahead of me at your age. Good luck." Jaune tapped him gently with the headmaster cane and pressed the button on his scroll. Just like that, gone, fired off into the sea of green, white, black, and red below. Least it was nice and sunny out.

Azura next. "Thanks for letting me in. I promise I won't let you down, yellow Dad." Always saying something weird. Jaune understood the second Schnee child about zero percent. That was fine. Jaune understood how to run a hunting school about as well, still did it.

"I never had a question." A master of dust, even if the kid barely came up past his belly. Lowered down, like a monkey, rifle spear like a mage staff, the metal plate popped another into the great beyond. Odyssia was next, she also kept low, squatted down, eyes on the horizon. She was that way, only ever saw goals, same as her mother. Looked like her, too, almost twins, but Odyssia showed more muscle, carried more armor. The bronze plates went from gauntlet to shoulder, the corset of leather further reinforced compared to Pyrrha's blue accents and the waist cape bared the emblem of a spear and blue seas. "You ready?"

"Yep."

"Give them hell. Love you." Odyssia snorted at that, promoting the button press and sending his second child into the clouds. She'd be fine. Especially given the reinforcements. Summer Schnee. Small, but packing. Her chestplate bore the symbol of Roseland, Snowflake wrapped in roses with a crown. Her sword, the size of her body nearly both in length and width, was glued to her back, limbs shielded in further steel. Jaune was firing a human cannon ball into the reach. "Summer."

"Headmaster Arc." Jaune nodded in approval and Summer pulled up her fur lined hood, a collapsed helmet forming over her face, obscuring her eyes behind an iron plate. Good to go. Another to the void. More followed, new faces like Vermillion who silently bowed and readied herself, old like Dawn who shared a simple 'sup' and snapped on her sunglasses for another summer day. One by one, forty three fighters were dropped. Big class this year. Jaune predicted about thirty-five making it past today without dropping out.

"Everyone's landing safely, no issues," Pyrrha, announced a few seconds after the last one was popped. She kept her eyes locked on her holographic scroll, cycling over student to student, nearly biting her lip hard enough to draw blood. Jaune desperately wished she would stop.

"It's alright," Jaune nodded, preferring to look over the forest's edge, watching the adventures he was dragging out of the kids. Bullets and bravado were already making themselves heard from the far corners, initiation was a great memory. "You can relax, sweetheart."

"You don't need to worry," _but it seems like I really should,_ "I think I'll get on top of Beacon tower, lay down some support fire if anything unusual happens." Jaune's ears went deaf at the screeching noise of Pyrrha's powers. Summoned from the depth of the world's red scars, Pyrrha retrieved her new sniper spear. Nothing would ever make that sound okay in Jaune's mind.

"You know, you'd probably get the same view right here with me." Pyrrha didn't say anything, didn't leave either. She was omitting the pain again. "Is it getting harder?"

"Yes." It was hard to say which number correctly quantified how long they had been together, but regardless of the year, the best thing for them was telling the truth, even if Pyrrha was choking on her honesty. Jaune appreciated it. "I'll feel better at the tower."

"You want me to come?"

"No, the kids need you to be here when they get back." Very true, still sucked. "Don't worry, I love you." She sounded like herself for once, a nice touch.

"Love you, too." Jaune got to watch again, a little more alone, shifting his weight onto the cane, digging it into the soil a bit without thinking. Another generation of warriors were being born into that forest, shepherding them was not exactly what Jaune had in mind when he became Glynda's assistant, much less the secret duties of a headmaster. With him leading the ship, this crew was going to have one hell of a time sailing it.

"Hey boss," the radio on his scroll interrupted the calm of Jaune's meditations with static and Neptune, "Got some bad news. A baby goliath's in the forest, roaming around. I think its looking for its herd." Goliath's lived for damn near ever, partially because the youngest form of those beasts were led by their older brothers and sisters. Question was, where the hell was the herd and why was it anywhere near Vale? It was certainly shaping up to be a very interesting initiation. "Should I take it out back and get rid of it?"

"Think the students could take it?"

"It's pretty small," Jaune could practically hear Neptune lick his lips, very aware he was deciding the fate of children, "it would take some doing, harder or easier than a full grown nevermore depending on how you do it."

"Leave it alone," Jaune answered, taking in one hardy breath, hoping Pyrrha kept up her aim, just in case, "Kill it only if someone's life is in danger. Otherwise, it's time to learn how to fight or to learn how to run."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***Heyo! Hi everyone who's stuck around, I hope you like chapter two and learning some about the new teams and new characters. Next chapters about them but after that we get back to Ruby and Weiss. If you're more interested in what the kids look like and what their semblances are, look up Summer's Vale tag on Tumblr and you'll find them, their bios, my commissioned art, and a few bits of fan art from my dear friends :D
> 
> Thanks so much for sticking with me and I really hope you like the kids. Let me know what you think in reviews. Also for anyone who missed my subtly about the Arkos kids, and thinking, "wait but they're identical twins, how can they be-" yeah no, I know, and they are still identical twins.
> 
> Thanks so much for the support, both on here and Tumblr, LazyKatze for the amazing edits (on her BIRTHDAY!), for Sha and Kad's fantastic fanart, and Chez's commissioned art. Everyone is awesome! Next week Snow White Knight!


	3. Did We Fail?

**Dawn Bella-Long**

     Wind, if going fast enough, feels like shattering through a billion sheets of break away glass, every inch another sheet smashing and spreading around the body. Dawn found it exhilarating. The initiation day event was probably her favorite little ritual of Beacon's. Solid mix of grimm killing, screaming, treasure hunting, and gambling. Plus, Dawn had the dealer's advantage.

     The catapult platforms sent everyone flying, the relics now so old the spring had enough time to wear and precision was lost. Maybe on purpose, but the students were fleshy variants of poorly folded paper airplanes. Everyone dropped somewhere different. Azura passed her by a mile midair, right into the thicker woods, a good place for the monkey. She lost view of Summer, bad, but got to see the bull faunus land in the deepest segment of the valley. _Good_. It was Dawn's turn to hit the floor.

     Having stretched her legs out, the wind dragged. _Too fast_. "Steady." Dawn crossed her arms, grip firm for support. The back jets of her gauntlets might have been meant to give her punches a bit of a boost, but right then they made perfect retrograde rockets. Aura licked into the dust stores and _boom_ , a momentary jet of flame. Each ignition slowed her down, little pops of fire fighting gravity.

     The uniform emerald leaves below gave way to browns of branches and greens of grass. A little bit of black and white for the beasties, too. Dawn made a drop zone of one broken oak branch, her boots peeling the bark off the limb as she slowed. Below, content to lick at tree sap, a pair of ursa minors turned their heads toward their new guest. "You first, papa bear?" Dawn stopped dragging her feet, snapping the already cracked branch, and jumped. Ursa were dumb, the biggest looked straight up into the dawn light, cooking its eyes with solar rays and blinding itself to its fiery kick.

     Dawn stomped with her entire mass, an igniting of aura to add some fireworks to this show. The grimm skull plate cracked, and Dawn propelled from it like a diving board. Another trip back into the sky. Dawn pulled a short belt of ammo from her robe, feeding it into the right gauntlet, Gawain, each dust laden heavy round the size of a large man's thumb. Left hand bracing the right, elbow locked, Dawn twirled around, falling right back towards the bigger ursa minor, face cracked, blackened blood pooling around the red of his eyes. Papa bear was mad. Dawn unloaded. The automatic rounds shredded the ursa into strips of dark, boiling flesh. The kick actually gave her some extra air time.

     "Now for mama bear." Dawn didn't get a good look before she landed, instinct and careful ears prompted her to roll through the forest dirt. She did feel the rumble as the second ursa minor slammed its full body into the ground she had just escaped.

     Gawain spit out the back of her spent belt and Dawn kicked herself onto her feet. The beast growled, and the thudding of its charge knocked leaves from the trees. _Closer,_ Dawn raised her fist, let it come, white blade-like claws jutting for her throat. Close enough. She dropped herself down onto one side, and, staying on her right hand and leg, kicked with fire spilling from her boots into the bear's soft throat.

 _Crack._ Something gave, either its jaw or Dawn's ankles. She didn't care to discover. The ursa stepped back, possibly choking if they really needed to breath, but its belly left open, presented. The ursa minors lacked any of their older cousin's armor. The left gauntlet, Agravain, came into play. Aura popped the fire dust and rocketed the punch forward with a touch of extra to add some flame to her fist. Soon as she made contact with the ursa's chest it was _bye bye, mama bea_ r. The flesh collapsed and plenty of that oil-like black spilled onto her hand.

     Smokey blood on her gauntlets, dirt on her robes, and leaves in her coal and gold hair, the grace of Dawn's landing was robbed from her. The roar of something else dragged a groan out of her. "Oh, what now?!" Little bear. An actual little black bear was growling at her. Least it wasn't a manifested collection of evil. "Hey little one, you're not on my list." Dawn stomped the grass with a popping flame, enough to send the furry thing bounding the other way. _Alright, back to that list_. Back to finding Summer Schnee.

 _Eyes on the sky._ Odyssia might be clever enough to try and trick the system, but faunus ears, small as Dawn's might be, they hear involving flares. Thing was, if Dawn was smart enough to listen from a distance, others might, others of ill-repute could as well. Do or die.

     Dawn bounced up two neighbor trees for a better vantage, furred ears tilted toward every distant sound. Off in the depth were reverberations of rifles and elemental weapons, all shots coming from below, but her senses focused high. The blue midday sky was free of clouds, besides a handful of distorted shapes in white. Dawn didn't catch the flare till the big burst, a single blast of fire dust, until her faunus hearing picked up the rippled air. The time release shell blended into orange shrapnel and signaled for Odyssia.

     And Dawn.

     And everyone else. _Go time_.

     Dawn sped up to a race, the branches her track. She kept high, sliding around trunks and jumping between trees. It wasn't exactly quiet, but keeping a small rapid creek splashing against rocks to her right and the human propensity to look straight, not up, kept her safe. If anyone saw her, the plan was fucked. Below, Dawn caught a few scattered future students, ignoring them outright. The one person who seemed to notice the faunus was called out by someone else, letting her slip by unclaimed.

     Eventually the creek flowed down a different path, tree limbs ended, and Dawn was forced to slide down the bark and continue on foot, no pause in her pace. The forest grimm were all in a panic. Had to be a bad day to have over thirty would-be hunters dropped right on your homes. Dawn managed to avoid them, besides a pair of creeps she had to kick into Remnant's upper atmosphere. With the forest thinning, the flare's remains had of course dipped down into a clearing.

     Dawn kept low, trying her best not to be noticed, though the golden highlights were likely to really screw her right about now. _Who's here?_ Dawn's eyes caught two figures, then a third. Rouge. Easy to spot, built like a brick shit house and probably looking for Odyssia. He found Azura instead, obviously looking for the other cousin. He was an old friend, and with the muscle to back up a master of glyphs. Good combo, and most importantly not the foreign faunus.

     The third figure was irrelevant. Hera Adel, the child of Vale's famed admiral and nationalist Coco Adel. Her noticeable rabbit ears were a danger to Dawn's incognito objective, split by a small green garrison cap with red trims. She stood alert, back straight, shoulders tight in her matching jacket and asymmetrical skirt. The black leggings were a nice touch, cute, but Dawn had other business to attend to. Two more students approached the clearing, a handsome girl and an equally heightened friend with peculiar white and red hair, but both simply walked on after a few words and neither were the target. Neither Summer Schnee, nor Odyssia Nikos were here, just everyone looking for the—

 _That clever bitch!  
_      "Dawn! Over here!" _Shit._ Dawn was cursing herself to oblivion as soon as she cracked a twig on the way out. Azura had good hearing apparently, that little adorable twerp. Curiosity was going to kill that little blue headed— _Dawn, breath. You planned for this._

     Dawn clicked her tongue to admit, not defeat, but an alternative. "Well, hello there kiddo!" She spun herself right around on her heel, kicking up a bit of foliage with her. The three figures were all staring at her, further complicating the who-saw-who first. Dawn was going to relieve them of the complication.

     "Hey, you must be Dawn," Hera started her introduction, confidently stepping up with her arm out and a box strapped around her waist. Their parents were political adversaries, Dawn knew damn well where she had heard about her. Interesting choice, why approach her natural rival? "I heard about your skill while at Signal—" Not interesting enough. Dawn stepped right past her.

     "I call my cousin," Dawn announced

     "Excuse me?" Hera complained, voice turned from sweet summer to angry growl quick.

     "Actually, Dawn, I'm Rouge by the way, it's been a really long while," Jaune's boy liked to talk as much as his dad it seemed, "Anyways, Azura's not great with people, so we figure, why don't I be on the kid's team and help 'em out." Dawn thought him sincere, if skirting an awkward line between trying to impress her with his good guy charms and actually helping out the Rose hunter.

     "She saw me first," Dawn bullshitted, snagging the blue hood of her cousin and dragging them along the grass.

     "I've been chosen!" Azura seemed thrilled at the prospect, arms and rifle up for a new adventure. Such a goof. Four years of this. This, this was going to be a very strange affair.

     "So what? It's just me and, um?"

     "Hey man, you can do worse than Hera," Dawn tossed him a line. He could use the help. "We on the other hand are going to comb this forest and find your sisters." The Emerald Forest demarked miles of ruins, foliage, creeks, grimm, a lot of bullshit, and a girl with a target on her back. Finding a needle in a haystack sucked, racing against a family enemy, well that at least made it exciting. "You ready for adventure, Azura?"

_Odyssia better not screw this up._

* * *

**Odyssia Nikos**

     "Bang." Odyssia pulled back Penelope's trigger, the compact form's barrel lit up with the spread of heated dust and fragments. They carved a path out of the left side of the beowolf, a dissipating figure of ash that she could run through.

     The pack kept up with Odyssia, unable to lose them in the forest interior, and with the flare, options were limited. The ruins offered some pathways to escape, a carcass of white moonstone dirtied by moss and centuries of battle. How any of the structures stood on this initiation culling ground astounded her. Didn't save them from being the site of her hunt. Legs kicked her faster through the stone grounds. Almost got away from the looks of it, but she knew better, heard the sound of claws pounding the cracked marble. As Odyssia cut between the crumbling cutaway alley, unsurprisingly one of the pack clung to the overhead arch.

     Odyssia went for the gap, running for the amphitheater's courtyard corpse. The beowolf descended, swinging its right claw for the young human's head. In return she dropped, skidding on her bronze boots and under its reach. The shoes could take it, but with a swing over her shoulder, the beast could not stand a scattershot to the back of that white and black skull.

     The grimm died, Odyssia lived. She was given a moment of peace at the center of the ancient theater. The flooring had long since been rended apart by starving plantlife. Long tendrils of grass rose between the cracks shifting as wind swirled, still trapped inside. This place had seen its battles, acted and real. Recently enough were long wooden rods stuck out from the ground, likely projectiles from another long gone student, the grimm corpses having faded shortly after. The acoustics still worked, too. Odyssia did not need to look back, the noise of a starving pack loud enough.

     "Well boys, aren't you going to be good and calm," Odyssia whispered. She did not want to turn around, agitate the slow hunting monsters. Instead, she controlled her breath, reserved emotions. A dust tipped arrow was pulled from her back without driving the others things wild. She took one step for every pair monsters. She could make out two, maybe three. With the arrow, stalling was over. Penelope's grip snapped up with a click that set everything off.

     Odyssia slammed the arrow into the grip's bottom compartment, extended the weapon, and a single button press split it open. The folding, telescopic internals formed an oversized recurve bow of plated bronze and blue hued wood.

     First howling beowolf was racing, but ran right into the tip, the arrow pinning him to the back wall. Another arrow, a lost second, but released it struck the second beast in the jaw, the force snapped his neck right around and the body fell limp into an ashy pile.

     The last came too close to restring, a flip of the switch snapped the bow back down, an arrow head slammed in and pulled by the internals to the front. It lept, but not at her, simply into the pointed spear end of Penelope, right through the throat.

     "Down doggie." Odyssia kicked the corpse off the spear. The creature faded into soot as the wind blow it away, cold and uninterested. She hoped the founders of this once great stadium applauded her noble kills.

 _Now, Summer._ The ruins were a good place to rid some straggling beasts, but took her off the path. She landed somewhere, maybe a kilometer and a half into the forest, though guess work was required without a map. No more grimm, the air felt free of negativity, of their choking oppression, clear run.

 _Ready, set, go._ Odyssia kicked herself forward in a full sprint, the freedom of a skirt and under shorts really coming into play with the length of her strides. Not far beyond the amphitheater's end and over an unknown collapsed structure, Odyssia could see the clearing of what was once likely a town square, but was now a meadow of high grass outside this particular civic decay. No grimm, just a few more of those wooden bolts. Good to go.

     Then came a click, a distant human voice as well.

     The creatures of grimm are not known for the subtly. Even creepers tend to emerge from the ground slowly, screeching as they do so. Griffons have been seen to carry themselves with some ingenuity, but not bear trap making. Bear traps were the dominion of man. And Odyssia found a way to step in one.

     "Oh, god damn it!" Her scream came out hoarse with a base tinge of pain and frustration. She prefered to save aura, turning on defense when she needed it. After all, her semblance meant a wound like this was no big deal, but she got to feel it, flipping face first into the soil while metal teeth bit to the bone.

     "Oh my god! Are you okay?!" A female voice, the shouting came closer. Odyssia couldn't think about her, or anything. Pain cooked the thoughts from her brain, leaving one order: Rip the damn thing off.

     "Ah!" Odyssia shouted, pulling the teeth open. Most were stopped by the bronze, but some slipped through the blue, now red, cloth. Aura was pulled out of her automatically, the wound, deep and too much for a normal warrior to just wipe away, sealed. That was her special little talent. For the price of a bit of her soul, say goodbye to bear trap nightmares.

     "Oh god, I'm sorry! I didn't think anyone would be running through my traps without aura shielding them! That was meant to catch ursa, not you!" Odyssia's mistake. It was cheaper for her to take the hit and heal than leave a shield up all the time. Sure, the wound itself cost more, but keeping up the full shield wasn't cheap. This was a good advantage to have. One she did not want getting out.

     "I'm fine, was running on low, but I caught it before it got deep," she lied. The cloth bits had holes and there was a red mess all over the bear trap. Yet as far as anyone could see, all clear.

     "That's a lot of blood," the girl noted. Odyssia finally looked up at her, first and foremost caught by this girl's eyes. Heterochromatic purple and orange, a fun combo. The stranger's black hair was chin length and shifted to one side opposed to her undercut. She dressed a little like Odyssia's brother at half size. The beige and stone colored Mistralian battle skirt did it, though the small huntress wore leggings to the knees as well. Her chest was a grey leather vest ringed at the neck by a beige wolf pelt, the top of which was pulled over her head. The massive projectiles sticking out of the ground definitely came from her, judging from the cross stringed ballista sized auto-crossbow she had.

     "And a lot of not wound, so…" Odyssia slapped the scarless bits of fresh skin and stood. This girl was alone, no partner it seemed. With an outstretched hand and a faint smile, the young huntress accepted fate. "I'm Odyssia Nikos."

     "Oh yeah, I'm Antimony Calfuray, super nice to meet you." She was quick to grab the open hand, shaking it with peppy gusto. "Has anyone told you, you're really tall." This was going to be fun.

     "Never," Odyssia joked. "Shouldn't you be looking for the relic?"

     "Well," she brushed hands through her hair, black hunting gloves matching her curly mess of a head, "Traps and ranged fighting is sort of my deal, though Polynices here turns into a kanabo club in a clinch," _God damn,_ "I thought I'd camp out here, lay some traps and nab me the first person to come though, didn't think I'd be literally nabbing them." And to think, Odyssia kept South to avoid people.

     "Well, I promise, getting my leg stuck in a hunting trap wasn't exactly how I thought of starting a four year friendship," Odyssia said. Mom turned out right, but rolling with the punches was definitely a Nikos trait, "but nice to meet you, partner." The hunter smiled, multicolored eyes lighting up.

     "Least I left an impression!" she chuckled. "So off to find the relic then and start our team adventure? Soon as I collect my traps for you know, safety."

     "First, well first before the relic," Odyssia cut off, "I have to collect an old friend of mine."

* * *

**Summer Schnee**

     "Why three?!" The boarbatusks, usually a fairly lonely grimm type, somehow found itself two more friends of equally armored nightmare bacon. _Breath._ Summer stood guard at her landing spot, as she had for an hour, killing the grimm that more and more grew attracted to her. The combo of a piss poor mood and impatience made her a stronger magnet the longer Odyssia took. She had Excalibur, her wits, her armor, her training. _You got this._

     The first pig scraped at the ground, bone white tusks shaking back and forth. It was preparing for a charge. Summer reflexively fired off the revolving cannons of her sword, butt of the blade a stock, triggers at the arm guard, and grip the the hollow center, it was easier than it looked.

     Problem was, grimm bone armor didn't care. The hard shells pushed him back, even cracked the white plate scales down his spine, but the explosive bullets did little besides make noise. Mother mentioned this, during studies, ' _Under the armored stomach, the belly is thin and sensitive.'_ The beast was ready for a charge, its brother already spinning up. She prayed it was weak enough, aiming a double explosive round right under its legs. The dust fire and shrapnel dissected the pig and the first of three died.

     Second didn't want to wait, its cyclone carving tracks through the dirt and coming right at Summer. She flipped her greatsword over, resting it on her shoulder, ready to bat the beast out of the park. If she could hit it. Honestly, swinging at a charging boarbatusk was a terrible risk.

     Which is why Summer wasn't taking it.

     She threw the weight of her body into a single horizontal strike, right as the grimm was primed to hit her, but nothing happened. The beast hit the stone of the cliff face behind Summer, not flesh, not steel. He must have been so confused if he could think at all, flailing with his back against the rock, tusks stuck against the floor, belly open and covered in white rose petals.

     Summer popped in and out of existence, the petals her mark. Short spacial teleport reserved her momentum even if now its direction was reversed. Like a bat, she swung, the blade going through belly, through bone, through black ink, and deep into Remnant's rock. _Oops._

     The third boarbatusk had been patient, but his charge was coming Summer's way. She could just stand there, both amused, panicked, and annoyed at her own strength. The sword swing encased Excalibur in rock. "No, this is not fair!" She pulled, but only for a second. The grimm struck her, the weight delivering a hard blow to her shoulder before a teleport saved her from being totally obliterated.

     On the other side of the warp Summer appeared by a nearby tree and the farthest range her semblance could muster. Momentum conserved, the trunk took the force of Summer's body, thrown back, a heavy thud against solid wood. _Ouch._

     By the time she was on her feet, less than five meters away the boarbatusk kicked at the soil, ready for another go. Summer froze, her strength might have of been her highest combat attribute, but her fists weren't punching through bone backs. She settled for the marginally less suicidal, charge the beast, hope it runs at her, and teleporting to Excalibur. _Breath._ The thing let out a hard snort. It was time for action.

     Or women dropping from the sky with the fury of a lightning bolt.

     She thought it was Odyssia at first, with the red hair color of hot blood, but the black suit and flash of lightning told a different story. The girl landed on the grimm pig's back, hands grasped the tusks and light engulfed them both. The boarbatusk squealed and smoked, being cooked by this invisible force that spilled sparks from this stranger's hands. The beast collapsed, and Summer recognized not the grimm's, but the stranger's horns.

 _Really?! Her?!_ Summer contained herself, shoulders slumping and eyes going from sturdy stare to a displeased droop. "Thank you. I had it covered, but I appreciate…whatever it is you just did to that pig." The thing smelled like cooked bacon sizzling now, but vaporized back into smoke and oil.

     "Oh," the faunus mumbled in accented sincerity, "I thought you were about to die." _Well, that's one way to call me incompetent._ "I didn't mean to electrocute your prey. I'll be going then." The stranger stood, brushed herself off, and turned to walk away, just like that. Summer almost didn't react, too confused. Was she not part of the initiation? Was she actually staff?

     "Hey, where are you going?" Summer nearly choked on it, the plan falling apart with a faunus thunderbolt, "Aren't we partners now? I'm Summer Schnee, although you probably already know that. Hello?" The stranger paused as Summer stared into the intricate designs on the back of her black and red robe like suit. A rose petal floating away from the bush in a crossed circle seemed to be the center symbol.

     "Well, I had," the faunus paused to find the words, a bit of pink on her cheeks, "I had hoped to find a faunus partner, if you don't mind, Miss. Schnee."

     "Isn't that against the rules? If not just kind of prejudiced of you?" Summer didn't know why she was arguing, wasn't like the almost blood bath yesterday was a solid ground to grow a four year companionship. "Is there something wrong with a human partner, miss whoever you are?"

     "N-no, I don't mean it that way," the faunus muttered, she actually seemed embarrassed. Not much of the 'will-murder-you' fury of yesterday. "I'm not use to being around humans, or human customs. I thought it would be easier. Would you not prefer it?"

     "My hometown is near seventy percent faunus, so it's not really relevant to me," Summer still had the problem of Excalibur becoming one with a boulder. She grasped the handle, putting a leg on the stone and pulled between her sentences, trying to squeeze it out. "But if you want to trounce upon all the rules, then by all means leave, whoever you are."

     "It's mostly faunus, yet you're the princess of Mountain Glen?" the girl asked. Summer couldn't tell by the way she phrased it if there was more than curiosity behind it, but she was damn tired of hearing that all her life. "My name is Vermilion Lance. You seem fixed on it."

     "The current," Summer groaned as she heaved for another bad try, "Governess is a faunus," Summer propped both her legs against the rock, the strain of her armor already killing her back to do this, "and nearly half the elected officials, but I get your point."

     "Would you like help, miss Schnee?" Summer could hear Vermilion giggle ever so close to a whisper. Screw that.

     "No!" Summer threw her whole body into it, the blade was almost slipping, she could feel it in her soul. "Come on!" It finally moved, just a little. She was so happy Summer almost didn't notice the yellow light of a glyph on the stone crack. It pumped her full of strength and both came flying off the rock right onto a hard dirt floor.

     "Azura here to save the day!" The familiar high pitched squeal of her sibling overrode the yelp of her hitting the ground. What was once blue hair turned yellow to match the glyph last used. Azura. _How the hell did all these people beat Odyssia here?! Is she that bad at math?!_

     "It's your sister," Vermilion piped in with a low distaste on her tongue, the almost knifing seemed like a fresh memory. "With the fire faunus."

     "I'm her Azura, actually and nice to meet you~" Azura devolved back into their shell from a momentary break out, she always got like that. Like they forgot people were strangers and then quickly hit halfway in the sentence realizing. "I-I am, I'm sorry about the thing, you know, with the school and st…"

     Vermilion sighed. Her hand rocked the hilt of her sword as she shook her head, not quite enough to be a no. "Apology accepted, Mis—uhh, that's not right is it... are you also Schnee?"

     "It's Rose, just Azura Rose," Dawn interrupted as she crossed into the space between the formerly quarreled, "and you don't have to apologize for anything, it was a mistake." Dawn pushed back Azura's hood, ruffling the black and yellow hairs, their color fading back to blue within, "Speaking of, are you two partners now? We heard the cannon, came running." _Aggressive,_ Summer noted by the tone.

     "I was actually looking to be partners with you," Vermilion countered with no real hesitation. Summer couldn't see Dawn's eyes under her sunglasses, but her lips twitched and brows pulled towards the center. "Or someone like you," Vermilion quickly edited. For such a deadly looking girl this faunus was an awkward, hot mess. _Kind of cute._

     "Summer~" the forest called out her name with about five extra syllables. _Oh, now you show up!_ "My love!" Odyssia charged out from the dark, a six foot battering ram, one Summer could not avoid. "I'm so sorry!" She tackled the smaller girl up into the air, spinning her around like a trophy to show the world. "I'm sorry, I had to lose a pack of beowolves, then I got stuck in a bear trap," _what? "_ It's been dreadful. Worst of all, I'm cheating on you with another huntress."

     "Oh hell, did anyone here get who they wanted?!" Summer grumbled.

     "We could do a few swaps?" a new black haired huntress offered, following Odyssia out of the green.

     "Really, with that hussy? I'm so much better," Summer whispered to Odyssia as a joke. Maybe a little salty over today, but mostly a joke.

     "We can't," Dawn interrupted, sounding more indignant than even Summer. And after years of practice at it, too. "The school records all this, our parents and the teachers are watching. We are stuck without a justification." Dawn let out a groan, fire spilling from her angry breath. "Well, lucky for you all, I know where the relics are. Let's go."

     "Well," Summer whispered to Odyssia, "I personally blame your mother."

* * *

     "What do we pick?" Vermillion asked, stepping onto the the grey temple rock. It had to have been a shrine once, a circle structure that had lost its roofing. The interior had columns with gold rings and clean etchings. Many of which had the relics, simple chess pieces. Some were      missing, hunters having passed them on the way back. This place stood alone in a clearing, bits of rubble, but mostly silence. A sanctum of stone in an ocean of green.

     "Why settle for anything less than the king himself?" Summer argued, snatching the white one. White has a 4.33% higher win rate than black in chess, first move advantage still counted for something.

     "Oh nice," Azura stepped into the little temple ground, quick to hop from stone to stone. "I want a white knig—"

     "White king as well," Dawn cut her cousin off, snatching the partner piece of Summer's. With a quick flip, it was up in the air and dropped right into her robe.

     "But I always wanted to ride a horse…" Azura grumbled from behind her hood.

     "If you would like Azura you can ride mine." Vermilion offered with a smile. Summer guessed she found that sort of childish behavior adorable. Considering the attempted murder, this was a stellar improvement for them.

     "You have a horse?!"

     "Yes, it's how I got to Vale."

     "Please, be on my team." Summer felt weight off her shoulders. Knowing Azura would have at least one acquaintance in all of Beacon not blood related to her or an Arc-Nikos put the edge off. She hoped Vermilion was prepared for a little crazy.

     "What do you think, Antimony? Black knight? Who doesn't want to be the edgy black knight?"

     "Sure!" Odyssia of course made friends with everyone, easy enough for her. Considering the heat, the near boarbatusk skewering, and the tedious hike, Summer was desperately looking forward to going home.

     "Odyssia, is your brother ready?" Summer asked, drained.

     "Yeah, he and Hera got theirs, so they're waiting on the hill." Summer could make out the twin figures, but not identify who was who. They were a good bit away, _someone_ wanted to be alone.

     "He's not bothering the poor girl, is he?" A distant screech of a grimm, a few gunshots, this place was getting less romantic by the minute.

     "Certainly trying," Odyssia giggled as the noises got closer. Two hunters ran right passed the temple, screaming something about birds. The watching hunters all stopped laughing and started listening. A third student, a rattlesnake faunus, drifted behind the others coughing up a lung. "What are they running from?" Remnant punctuated her sentence with thudding noises from the forest edge, but as an appetizer for things to come, a griffon came down from the sky right as the snake faunus tripped. The most opportunistic of the grimm types.

     "Distract it!" Summer shouted, acting before thinking. The trapped faunus tried to slip away, but the griffon's beak could easily swallow someone whole. No one was close enough to save him, not even Summer...without a teleport.

     She didn't have a plan, running full sprint, quick to drop Excalibur to lose some weight. Once at full speed she teleported. One burst of rose petals she was halfway there. Another explosion of white, Summer came out below the griffon's beak, snatching the boy and tumbling both of them to safety.

     The griffon was not amused, nearly twice her height and each step he took ruffled the feathers. Arrow bits from Odyssia didn't even seem to phase it, and the heavy thud of the new kid's oversized crossbow bolts just make it squack with irritation. _Well, shit genius, what now._ "Go for your friends, we're going to need help. I'll distract it," Summer told the other initiate. Plan hinged on the distracting part, something she hadn't quite worked out. There was always the old punching things strategy. The faunus nodded and ran, the griffon taking a second to decide which meal to eat. It seemed to prefer its dishes served in shining steel.

     The grimm bit forward and Summer dogged with an awkward hop. She swatted the beak with her armored fist, nearly losing her hand in the exchange, and the thing barely shuttered. She needed a weapon. Again its gaping maw opened to swallow a human whole and again Summer primed for a teleport, burning more of her precious aura.

     "No, bad birdie!" A sheet of blue ice spread down a straight path, encasing the griffon's head in rock solid frost. Azura's arms burned bright where the tattoos turned blue, eyes and hair matching the glow. The kid kicked back, a vertical glyph catching booted feet and sending them forward. A blue ripped cape flew at blurred speed passed the top of the grimm's neck, taking chunks with it. A glyph let the kid turn around, land, and launch again, this time slicing open the bottom of its feathered neck.

     Vermilion charged in for the final move. She unsheathed the minimal curve katana and shredded through the damaged neck in a single eye frame, pulse of thunder down the blade. Azura's spear staff already cutting through the thick skin, its black blood spilled out and the body dropped into a pool of ooze, shifting in the dirt. "Schnee," Vermilion started, wiping her sword and sheathing it back again, "You forgot your weapon."

     "I didn't forget! It's heavy, I had to make a call," Summer protested.

"Here you go b," Odyssia dragged the great sword along with her. Despite her height and tone, Summer had more muscle, and carrying a cannon just did not suit her. "We need to be careful, griffons are opportunistic; they only attack if a bigger problem attracts them. Excuse me while I save my brother." Rouge had found himself his own feathered grimm. Something was attracting trouble, and it wasn't being subtle.

     The small green clearing got a little bigger. Trees crumbled to the earth under the behest of an invading monster, a creature of white and black that so rarely entered this dominion the forest could not abide by his presence. A baby for sure, but the famed goliath smashed its twin set of tusks through the green edge and into the hallowed proving grounds. "Of all the ways to die today, crushed by a newborn is not how I saw it happening." Dawn leaned back, hands on her head and let air in, breathing out that forlorn proclamation. _Cheery._

     "I've never seen one of these. How are we supposed to fight it?" Vermilion asked, understandably perplexed on how to kill a building with legs.

     "Nothing we have can puncture the armor," Dawn answered grimly, "Unless one of you has a secret railgun, we are going to have to pray for a meteor."

     "Or make one." Summer could feel the stupid come out of her mouth. "If we can hold it still, and launch me into the air, I can teleport and come crashing on his skull."

     "Pfft, I can do that," Azura let out, feeling eyes turn to them. "The, like, throwing her... cause glyphs... I mean."

     "Okay, so that's checked. How do we get the thing to sit still?" Summer didn't feel at all more confident, but at this point... "because I'm only doing this once."

     "How about we do not turn my cousin into a projectile?" Dawn snapped.

     "I can," Vermilion ignored Dawn's protest, "I can generate enough voltage to lock pretty much anything in place for a time being." There was a catch, Summer could smell it. "I just can't control the path it takes once it leaves my body, usually to ground. I need either wire or," Vermilion flicked something on her weapon and lit up the arm guards rotating rings. "My weapon, Arondite, has a strong enough magnetic field to pull electricity at a range. If someone can embed the blade in its skull—"

     "I got this," Dawn pulled the blade from Vermilion's belt. Its simple design suggested nothing like the faunus claimed, but Dawn looked done with it, the insanity. "If I die, this is your fault. I f I live, I'm a badass. Take care, cousins." The goliath was done waiting, the grimm urge to destroy all things man touched cried for blood, eyes glowing like crystalline hate. It was not content crushing the remains of a human civilization, it wanted the hunters. The rest of the grimm were after Odyssia, but baby goliath stampeded towards them.

     Dawn spun with her whole body, tossing the sword like a disc. Vermilion gasped as the half-faunus tried her luck. Arondite twirled and stuck in the white bone of the creature's face. Not even the slightest reaction. "It's not in deep enough!" Vermilion shouted.

     "Yeah, give me a minute!" Dawn retorted, starting a sprint, then a hop, finally a jump, and a jet of flame, burning aura for flight. Summer had to admit, that was cool.

     The goliath did not slow, no one expected it to. The heavy feet crushed the earth, pushing it forward, right towards the in flight Dawn. Body half fire, the girl flipped in air, leg out for a jet enhanced drop kick. _Land it!_ Everyone watched silent, even if they should have been preparing. Dawn made it, kicking Arodite a foot deeper into the protective skull of the goliath.

     The beast did not like this. One shake of his head and a tusk swiped the girl from the sky. Dawn went completely limp, crashing into the hills motionless. Her fire nearly went out. Summer feared the worst, but weakly, she rolled over, flashing a thumbs up. Poor girl needed about ten ice packs.

     "I will hold it. Don't miss," Vermillion hands sparked light. Summer expected something flashy like full bolts of lightning, but instead it was a thin steady stream of blue and yellow charge, draining her and rending the goliath motionless. It didn't seem to take any damage, but the muscles locked up from the shock. If the grimm had nerves every one had to be signalling.

     "We won't, I promise." Summer pointed Excalibur straight up, bending her knees for a lot of coming stress, "Right, Azura?"

     "Yeah, of course," kinetic glyphs glowed a mix of colors below and above Summer, a long shoot of accelerates. Every individual pattern designed to build up speed. "Probably."

     "What? No probably, yes?!"

     "Here we go!" Azura spun Fortuitous Druid, the ribbons of dust embedded in tattooed skin glowing almost neon. Striking the staff against the ground, the first accelerate glyph pushed Summer towards the sky. Each level let her pass and begun to spin and activate. Between them she would teleport and limit the slowdown of gravity and wind. She went beyond the trees, passed the monster. Summer's world blurred by the intensity of the wind. Body railing against the rising velocity. A thunderstorm raged in her heart, adrenaline became the basis for her blood, and despite the fear, Summer felt... excited.

 _You're going to be incredible._ Her mom's voice came to mind as she passed the final ring. She could taste the clouds, and vanished into white.

     On the other side, the pull of gravity was reversed, and blue became green with a spot of white, the target. Summer worried she'd land on Arondite and ruin the already tense relationship. _You're about to be too dead to kill,_ the girl thought silently. She might have laughed too, but all she could hear was a cyclone of air Excalibur.

     Turning around proved difficult, sliding the helmet over her face a necessity to aim. She was dead on, the light show was about to begin. Sliding her boot through the sword grip, hands on the dust    triggers, she activated the sword's third form, elemental damage. The cannon hammers snapped back, dust flowed free and fire lit. Only aura shielded her from her own inferno. From above, it must have looked just like a meteor. She struck the skull dead on. Later she would hear of how the force knocked down trees, flattened the beast's head, but from her perspective, it was all white. No other sense, that and horrible pain in her legs.

     Her eyes flickered open, light coming in first transforming into grey sky. Second sound, a screeching creep and a bolt of lightning. Two, then three. "Summer Schnee!" A male voice, she did not recognize it. "Schnee, can you hear me?"

     "I," Summer choked on her first word, "I really don't want to stand." An older man with blue hair laughed, eyes shielded by goggles. He had a charge rifle in his palms and seemed content with her response.

     "Don't move too much, we don't know if you're injured," Vermilion was there, too, hand resting on the hilt, other on a scroll, checking Summer's states. The sword survived apparently, so Summer assumed she would, too.

     "You have no aura left. I'm here to bring you back to Beacon." The older hunter shifted from her to Vermilion, nodding with approval. "I saw what you did with the electricity. I approve."  
Vermillion blushed, immediately giving a proper bow Summer had seen some faunus give. "Yes professor, thank you."

     "Don't fall for Professor Vasilias' pretty boy charms, my mom says he's kind of a scumbag." Dawn was up. Both Vermilion and the professor were taken aback.

     "I literally just," Neptune sighed, "Your mother is filling your head with nonsense."

     "Did we fail?" Summer asked. She really wanted a bed. Professor Vasilias swept back the blue of his hair and smiled. "Normally, yes, but considering the goliath, I think you got a good shot with the boss."

* * *

     "Hera Adel, Antimony Calfuray, Rouge Arc, and Odyssia Nikos as team Heroic!" As each name was called out the background holographic display flashed a new face and letter. HROC, the name was tinged bronze. "Led by Hera Adel!" Summer could watch Odyssia's smile flash bright, she didn't want to be leading anyone. An advisor at heart. Rouge seemed a little disappointed, brow furrowed uncomfortably on stage. Headmaster Arc had him such a happy grin, lot of pride despite his decision on leadership.

     That left their own mash up. "Dawn Bella-Long." Summer swallowed, feeling out of breath on the stage. Lights were heavy, cameras flashing for the local news. "Vermilion Lance." Summer's partner stood straight like she was tied to a damn post, didn't seem nervous at all, same with all the others. Did they not get it? This was four years of their life! "Azura Rose." Even the blue one seemed fine, swaying from foot to foot, hood on despite how many times Summer slapped it off. This was it. "Summer Schnee as team Chevalier!" SVLR, each letter spun up on the screen, their faces all with a tint of silver white. Summer's heart was quaking, a drum beat she could dance to. This, this is what she was born for. Odyssia took her space in the audience, smiled and flashed a thumbs up, and suddenly this was the most natural thing in the word. _We're still a team, my dear friend._

     "Led by," _Dawn, of course_ , "Summer Schnee!" Gray eyes flashed open and wide, a natural gasp sucked in, and Odyssia Nikos started a loud cheer from the audience. Jaune laughed, Pyrrha looked rather pissed, but contained, as she stepped down to handle the disturbance. Summer nearly fell over. This was the game plan, she wanted to be leader, so bad in fact. Prove to the world, to herself, she could earn her place as heiress, as a person. Dawn, she had thought, crushed that dream as soon as she was called to be matched together. Summer felt like crying.

     "We have to move," Vermilion's voice, cut her out of the dream, hand on her shoulder and red tinged eyes not judging, just alerting. "Congratulations Summer. I look forward to fighting under your lead."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh I am so sorry just for this chapter. Wanted to get initiation out of the way so next chapter can be back on the parents, but man it made this long (And stuff got cut) makes me wish I had an artist I could team up with for a comic instead hahah. (actually re reading it it’s not nearly as bad as I thought it was writing it. Lol let me know!) 
> 
> So a few not-rwbaby OCs have shown up. One of them is just an extra, a rattle snake boy to be saved from a friend named Office Lady, two are also rwbabies from Nobyas which is, well you will see, don't worry about it. And the last is Antimony, who will be a member of this fic’s JNPR equivalent. She and Hera are in plot and screen time going to be similar to Ren and Nora respectively. Antimony is actually a Rwbaby of Lazykatze OCs but I just felt at least one character not from the loans of RWBY JNPR or CFVY would help make things feel more right. Hope its not too much! 
> 
> This chapter ends at initiation hope it was fun really guys let me know in reviews or comments or notes. I’m really glad to each of you for checking us out and please let me know what you think! Thanks so much to LazyKatze for the edits and to Okami and Nobays for reading it and giving me opinions.


	4. Too Much, Too Soon

**Ruby Rose**

     “Hey,” Ruby sang, happy to slide her arms around Weiss from behind, “Whatcha watching?” A quick session of exploring the Schnee estate for her wife had paid off. Didn’t take long. Even if Weiss wanted to get away from the growing pre-party, her penchant for planning refused to free her. The grand head Schnee stood, shoulder propped against the plaster of an open air window corner, the festivities below always a glance away. She could see the temporary outdoor theater, the tables of treats stacked like edible evergreens made of cheeses and hors d'oeuvres. Her face had a hint of blue and green from her scroll light, her body wrapped in a single-strap dress with strips of sapphire blue. Honestly, they both looked like a pair of flipped over blooming roses. With Myrtenaster and C.R. strapped to their sides, these flowers kept their huntress thorns. 

     “You’re affectionate,” Weiss commented, still keeping her eyes pointed sharp like gatlings at the goliath on the screen. Ruby snuggled her chin into the clavicle of her partner, finding a nigh neck to rest her cheek and watch together.

     “I know, aren’t we just cute,” Ruby had plenty of built up cuddles between her hunts. Before she left again, Weiss was going to be swatting at her with a bat. “Summer and Azura did so great, you must be a proud mama,” Ruby added, recognizing the footage. All parents get to watch the initiation feed, a last gift from Beacon to the mourning adults missing their kids. It was, despite trusting them completely, so intense Ruby had felt her nerves all burn to a crisp. 

     “I want to know why Jaune let it get to this. I’m going to kill him,” Weiss clicked the mini egg shaped scroll, the display starting back a few minutes, recording the kids fight with the griffon.

     “Nope, I can’t let you,” Ruby slipped her hand over the holographic light of the display, blurring the virtual image, and pulled it down to their sides. “But we can yell at him at the meeting tonight, if that’ll make you feel better?” Ruby could feel Weiss’ back muscles press against her chest as she let in a huge breath, a bad attempt to blow out the bitter flames of an angry mother bear. “Our babies did well. I’m like super proud.” 

     “It’s too much. Too soon.” Weiss’ lips twitched by the force of her grinding teeth. Stressed, she leaned back into Ruby’s arms. The shift in weight gave her a reprieve from the anxiety and a brush of warm skin to touch.

     “We were baptized in ‘too much, too soon’. It’ll be okay.” Considering the scars, the missing limbs and departed friends, any comparison to their lives was perhaps a bad one. Ever since the pair showed any interest in hunting, their growth was a cocktail brimming with pride and soured with a lot of anxiety. “We got ourselves a big day, too.” But there was more to the life of a parent than their children. Especially for hunters sworn to the good of humanity. “It’s time to enjoy a fanciful evening of intrigue and dance!”

     “I really don’t want to pretend to like these people for five hours.”

     “I don’t want to wear heels, but you’re going to make me,” Ruby whined.

     “Me?” Weiss chuckled, “Are you not the one standing in the way?”

     “Weiss, you both know you’re going to go out there and do the best you can do no matter what I say to enable the worst,” Ruby shuffled her body infront of Weiss’, the pair face to face against the incoming ocean winds. “I just want to make it easy on you.” 

     “I hate you,” Weiss whispered to herself before shutting her scroll off. The light dimmed, and her chest swelled with a deep breath. “Well, let’s do it then.” 

     The sound of chatter and the crying strings of a low volume orchestra playing over the estate’s speakers hit the pair as they began to descend the circular staircase. The bottom step forbid ascent with a guard on vigil. He was dressed in a metalic, silver plated, blue vest just like the standard soldiers of Vale, baring the SDS and snowflake logo on his chest. He stepped aside for the pair. Every doorway and stairway was guarded by one, or an equivalent Atlesian Knight, each meant to carall the wild guests back into their respective pastures. 

     Except for them of course. The Queen was free in her castle.

     “Ruby, Weiss!” Not two steps onto the main floor the early guests had already began calling for them. First one wasn’t too bad though, a younger man in a full tux swinging around a cane a little awkwardly sized for him, his hair already frizzed up from the coastal humidity. 

     “Yo, Jaune!” Ruby swallowed her almost shout down to an above average reply. Announcing themselves at the party was probably a bad call, considering Weiss pretty much hated everyone there. The guest list of the yearly Beacon commemoration was a perturbing mix of the three major political parties that dominated the modern decade. Touchy ‘nobles’ with frills and dresses reminiscent of peacocks with more gold on their clothes than in their assets, the bulk card carrying members of True Monarchy. To counter them were the stuffy and grumbling commanders of the Valen armed forces, jowls always clenched tight in great discomfort at affairs like this and almost all One Vale representatives. At least most of them were Beacon graduates or fellow hunters. Lastly the new rapscallion kids of HFS, Human-Faunus Solutions. A growing party of revolutionary faunus and humans, unbending, resilient, good looking, and heroic. Like herself which was obvious considering all of RWBY were part of the founding members. 

     They were a split from One Vale who had grown tired of the biggest parties posturing on Faunus rights and the focus on emulating Atlas’ military obsession that dominated a post-Salem Vale. First year they started to pick up speed gaining local seats, now they were hosting Beacon’s commemoration. Ruby never thought politics would be fun, but seeing the old men huff about every bill was really funny in a morbid sense. “Ruby, focus,” Weiss whispered and shocked her from the tangential machnications. Jaune was giving her a confused look and the thought dawned on her, he probably asked a question.

     “Hey, where’s Pyrrha?” Ruby asked, distracting from her immediate screw up. Jaune scratched his head and leaned on his left, hiding a cringe.  _ Definitely not here.  _ “Is she feeling sick?” Ruby wasn’t exactly sure she  _ could  _ feel sick. “You’re not seriously fighting, are you?”

     “No, it's not a fight.” Jaune ended with a sigh, tainting what was in theory good news with just the slightest hint of something worse. Weiss of the two always asked the real questions.

     “Is she able to leave the school?” It wasn’t meant to be cruel, but Jaune recoiled at the inquiry. The young Schnee didn’t seem to take note of it. Running the SDC and SDS meant getting use to people hating the words that slipped from her mouth.

     “Sometimes. It’s difficult. We can talk more about that at the meeting.” Beacon’s new interim headmaster took a more dull tinged tone. Sullen didn’t befit the kid.

     “We should visit. I wanna take apart her new sniper spear so bad and mess with all the magic bits.” Ruby gifted a changed subject. Wasn’t a lie either. Pyrrha had been and would always be a dear friend to her, regardless of the situation. “And~ I can sneak off to see Summer and Azura. Odyssia and Rouge were awesome, by the way. They both have gotten friggin’ huge.”

     “Speaking of which, why did they fight a goliath?” Weiss’ tone, carving a path right to her point, cleared from the words like rust from the blade. Direct.

     “It was just a baby go—”

     “A goliath,” Weiss insisted. Jaune chuckled and stretched out in an manner unfit for the haughtiness of high living. Their blonde friend found no salvation in stalling. Can’t sweat out the snow after all, same with Schnees.

     “We can talk about that later, I promise you,” Jaune waved it off and kept up his goofy smile, “They were never in any trouble, Neptune was watching the whole time.” There was a whisper rising in the party. Everyone’s eyes and necks tilted towards the main entrance, whether or not they knew why.

     Except Weiss. “I’m filled with confidence.” Weiss’ tongue clicked with sarcasm and Vale River was damp.  Ruby on the other hand made it a business to be overly curious for Weiss. Despite the risk of falling on her ass given the heels, the huntress leaned even farther on her toes, an inch or two of extra height letting her see the source of disturbance. The thickening crowd tossed in some difficulty, but even from the slightly elevated foyer, Ruby could recognize the overcompensating shapes of Vale’s “Woodsmen”, a domestic knock off of the Atlesian Knights. Larger, but slower, and prone to failure, Vale’s military never even adopted the green painted guards, especially after Cinder’s takeover tainted the concept of automated armies. Their build did not cover their wires, in full view like visible strings of muscle. The only armor along the eyeless head unit, the weakened inverted legs, and of course the core power cell in the chest. That plate was branded with the symbol of a battle axe, a crown wrapped around the twin heads, the crest of their very own ceremonial monarchy. 

     “The king’s here,” Ruby announced to the still squabbling Jaune and Weiss. King  Jaundice was an old man of sixty-eight years, his mother had replaced her brother during the faunus rights revolution. An uncharismatic and vacillating man, his reign had seen the council move from just the right axe of their kingdom’s twin government to the only real authority in matters of state. Salem and the unhappy nobles of True Monarchy had done more for his position of relevance than anything attempted by the crown itself. Decidedly Anti-Atlas, Anti-Faunus, and definitely Anti-Schnee, he had become one of Weiss and Blake’s more vocal adversaries, though Ruby had never even had the chance to meet him. She wanted to, maybe even have a word. People dressed with crowns were still people, after all.

     “Shit, I have to give a speech, like, now.” Beacon was independent from Vale, but that didn’t mean Jaune could avoid pretending he was a public servant. “We’ll talk more at the meeting tonight.” They got an excellent view of the headmaster scurrying towards the impromptu theater, literally holding his pants up.  What a sight.

     “My, Jaune,” Ruby mumbled with a laugh, “He really does take the ‘I’m just a bumbling idiot’ act far. I would suck at pretending to be dumb.” Worked though. Jaune proved very keen at gaining information and influence that way, all without turning heads or accruing the envy of his peers.

     “Don’t worry, you’ll never have to  _ pretend _ to be stupid,” Weiss snaked one arm around Ruby’s, linking the couple in both an affectionate and socially appropriate manner.  

     “Did you just call me stupid?” 

     “ _ I _ didn’t call you anything.”

     “You can be so mean, you know that?”

     “Yes,” Weiss noted with a simple smile, something hard to get from her in one of these toxic gardens of a party, “but I think you prefer me mean.” 

     “To be totally honest, I like it better when you’re mean to other people.” Weiss coughed a laugh, and Ruby marked one win on the scoreboard for tonight.

     “Come on, it’s time to see the fun I planned,” Weiss’ grin turned sharp, etched into her cheeks by a devil’s amusement. “I’m about to be exceptionally mean to someone else.”

 

* * *

 

     “Good evening, everyone,” Jaune strolled on stage to get down his general discomfort. An outdoor theater pressed its false back against the left wing of the mansion plaza. Sparse in terms of decorations, the only props kept behind the curtain, a spartan show tonight Ruby guessed. “Thank you all for coming to our yearly commemoration. Over a hundred of these and Beacon continues to leave its doors open to new generations of hunters and huntresses.” The headmaster spoke out towards the crowd, a sea of men and women sat in white chairs with a velvet touch to the skin. Rentals, of course.

     “While everyone here knows the truth of the matter, this is a glorified fundraising dinner, that's what really makes it special to see such a strong support. Each one of you willing to put a little money into our pocket if it means saving the world. You have my thanks, each of you. Especially our hosts, Weiss Schnee and Ruby Rose,” Jaune pointed his cane right at them, an arrow for the forced applause. Weiss stood as a representative of their family, bowed as was expected, and took her second row seat with grace. “They are a beautiful pair and their support to Beacon will never be forgotten. I'm proud to say two of their own children just joined our school this spring season.

     I want to thank plenty of you big donors out there, such as Blake Belladonna, who's taken time away from her work as our chief of police to join us tonight. Stand for us, please,” Blake popped her head from seats away, Ruby couldn’t fight the urge to wave, seeing that Faunus in her black suit with purple accents, a standard for her station. “I know that she’ll be missing that check come the latter part of our council election. Speaking of, thank you to donor Admiral Coco Adel, also with us tonight,” Coco took a stand, dressed in the green formals of her navy uniform, the black beret and medals on her chest adding a bit of flare. “Her military collection and long time support of hunters has astounded us. We wish you both luck on your council elections, as mutually exclusive a statement as that really is.” The crowd gave away a nervous chuckle and eased some of the sweat building on the edges of his golden curls. 

     “I know you want me to shut up and get on with tonight's performance, but beforehand Beacon wishes to thank His Majesty for his presence here tonight.” The king sat just in eyes view at the front row of the performance, his body arched forward, the hook of his nose could practically tag the top of the stage. He had lost most of his hair, the emerald crown on his head something disturbingly anachronistic. He nodded as the audience gave mild applause and Jaune continued. “And I implore you to maybe toss some family jewels into the collection! Alright, please have a wonderful night, and don't ruin anything else of the Schnee’s I might have to pay for, thank you!”

     Jaune walked off the stage with a snappy thud of his shoes and cane, the replacement popping out a young fox faunus dressed in fake armor, a soft expression over her face and faux-blue hair. “Wait till you see this, I think you’ll find me to be quite the devil tonight,” Weiss spoke softly right into her wife’s ear.

     “Oh jeez, you know just how to get me going,” Ruby whispered back.

     “Good evening,” the young faunus woman began, her voice shuttering just a bit as she witness the breadth of her patrons. Ruby had a funny feeling this wasn’t the clientele she was use to. “We are the all faunus acting troupe Lions here on invitation of governor Schnee,” an uncomfortable wave ran through the audience. The title governor, even the status of Roseland was simply not covered by the law of Vale. Weiss seemed to enjoy it though, rubbing salt in the wounds of her critics with someone else's hands. “To show our award winning performance that has sold out in even the largest of Mountain Glenn’s theaters,”  _ Oh boy,  _ Ruby realized exactly what this was, “ _ Autumn Vale _ .”

     Weiss made an excellent demon. The play proceeded as it had many times through Roseland. The story followed a revisionist and perhaps not wholly accurate retelling of the faunus rights revolution from the perspectives of the struggling faunus in Vale and the opposing Schnee, honorbound and forced into conflict despite trying to avoid it. It featured a number of famous faunus and humans from history, including Weiss’ father, uncle, and aunt, as well as the king’s mother.

     Which, is where the plot went a step toward the sinister. Around the second act, after plenty of jabs at the Valen Monarchy and formal feudal practices, the true cause of all the misfortunate was discovered to be a conspiracy linking to the greedy Queen herself. All the fighting, death, and suffering was just to get the throne from her brother. The story was meant to be chilling, but watching the King try and storm out, too old to do so in any impressive manner, just led to a lot of laughing from the One Vale party. Many of True Monarchy walked out as a show of solidarity, but it didn't stop Weiss from cracking up.

     “You are such a rebel. Blake is going to skin you, I swear,” Ruby whispered to her wife, trying not to join her in the barely withheld giggles as intermission was called soon after. Weiss waved it off with a dignified tilt of her chin to the sky and a wry smirk. 

     “I’m sure she thought it was funny.”

     “And dangerous,” Ruby noted. They last thing they needed was more enemies, even if in this case said enemy was a grumpy old man who nearly tripped on his chair exiting the mansion’s yard.

     “Are you going to tell on me?” Weiss tipped her head. Her silver bangs slid to the right, toward her partner. A child’s joy glimmered from her eyes, and Ruby could not but shake her head and sigh.

     “Leave the dumb stuff to me, okay? It’s more my M.O.” The outdoor lights dimmed down again and with a sliver of the audience gone, the play continued with an awkward third act. Eventually the crew got over the sudden exodus and the play really came into its own. The narrative perhaps never escaped its bias, but the tragedy took its twists well. By the time their cast dwindled down to a handful of survivors, each one felt precious, and Ruby let herself be there in the moment. 

     The last light died down, and in the faux-mud the final main character exited in a fatal finale, and everyone took a bow. The remaining audience loved it, not surprising given the reviews they had received touring in Roseland. 

     After the lastl cheers, the deep darkness of evening had taken over the event and cries for free booze and overpriced food dominated. Fundraising plates of crab and goose came with ludicrous prices, each one a donation they were likely to commit, especially after each free drink loosened the socialites wallets for every unspent lien.

     “You’re atrocious at making friends,” Blake slithered into their social circle with her customary cuts, one of many formed in the ballroom of the Schnee Mansion. The white moonstone interior as well as humidity treated air made for a much better party environment.

     “Heaven’s no,” Weiss argued, “I have plenty of friends, you’re my friend.” Despite her showy display of blasphemy, the huntress spared no expense on making tonight a pleasurable affair for the guests. The band was brought in from Mountain Glenn, the best of the city’s concert hall playing a spattering of period music to loosen the atmosphere. The food was prepared by Roseland’s top four chefs, barring number three, she had another commitment, and drinks brought in from the old Castle White’s best collection. 

     “Maybe, but I don’t think you’ll be setting any play dates with the king now,” Blake replied, nursing a glass of wine watered down to the point of discoloration. 

     “Yo, where’s Yang?” Ruby asked, comfortable enough to drop the formal speech with her old team. Blake sighed into her glass, fogging up the rim right before she downed it all. Well, something was wrong.

     “It’s been like a week since I saw her, she’s staying at Beacon for the new freshmen students. Temporary dorm mother.” Blake and Yang, despite being perhaps a volatile pair, never seemed to stand the time they had apart even if both avidly complained about each other. Match made in heaven. 

     “No, Velvet’s the one on dorm mother duty.”  _ Or maybe not _ . Jaune cracked his comment along with a piece of crab. He was the only one in this set of hunters not afraid to dig in wholeheartedly. After all, the money went straight back to him. By the time he noticed Blake’s indignant stare he already had half a crustacean in his mouth. “You didn’t know?” he gargled back.

     “You’re lying,” Blake whispered.

     “No, he’s not,” Coco Adel had joined them, not holding drink or food, just her beret and sunglasses, “I was on a call with Velvet all last night, she was definitely alone, and I think my wife would tell me if she had a roomie like Yang.”  _ Smart. _

     “I’m going to get a drink,” Blake tossed up the white flag, stomping away towards the nearest plate of champagne. So much for sobriety.

     “I think I’m going to join her. Want anything, babe?” Ruby didn’t wait for her answer, too concerned for her sister-in-law to delay. A quick twirl and team mom was following their sweet faunus friend. 

     “Blake?” Dignity be damned, Blake downed one glass and picked up a second to nurse her troubles. Teetotaling was such a fleeting thing under marital stress. 

     “Ruby,” Blake stirred without making a scene, though the former team leader did notice the sharp rise in her furred ears. “Do you know anything about this? I really don’t need this right now, please?” Blake’s eyes drooped with such exhaustion, Ruby’s first instinct was to drag her off to bed and make the cat take a nap.  _ How hard have you been working?  _

     “No, but I know Yang, she’s probably just after something stupid and doesn’t want to worry you, like when she took down the remnants of Roman’s gang?”  _ And almost lost her other arm, good fucking choice Ruby,  _ “Or you know just out for wild motorcycle rides. We both know my sister, whatever it is, it’s not as malicious as you’re probably thinking.”

     “I know she’s not cheating if that’s what you’re saying.”  _ Thank god.  _

     “She would never,” Ruby argued, believing it 110%, “but I will look into it, you deserve to know what trouble she is getting into and why.”

     “I miss when running away was my thing,” Blake whined.

     “We’re all a little too old for that,” Ruby pulled at her old teammate’s suit, back into the party and toward the circle of friends they had kept close through all these years and all the shared heartache. “Let's go back.” Ruby hoped Weiss wasn’t thirsty for her order.

     From the look of it, she probably could have used it. By the time Ruby and Blake started their ballroom bolt back, the social sphere had a new member, this one not an old Beacon hunter, not a hunter at all, not of grimm anyways. Pyrite Valeswood, the TMP’s pick for the open council seat, famed critic of hunters, Roseland, faunus, Atlesians, and pretty much any descriptor one might tie to RWBY, and with a greasy grin, short cut hair, and impressive stature for a woman so short on ethics.

     “Your wife seems lovely,” from the twitch in Weiss’ eye, Ruby guessed Pyrite pounced as soon as she left after Blake, leaving her with minimal support.  _ Vulture.  _ “So, the question I have, is when you two are intimate, does your pet cat watch or join you?” Weiss’s left hand floated towards the hilt of her sword, and this woman just kept smiling like she was hilarious. Bitch was about to be skewered. 

     “Oh, if you knew my sister,” Ruby slid her arm around her wife's back, embracing her from the right side. Her hand snatched the hilt before Weiss could and Ruby made sure to look nice and comfortable doing it, “you’d know Chief Belladonna is way too worn out to deal with our fun.” Ruby put on her best ‘I don’t hate you’ smile in her arsenal, something over two decades of being part of the Schnee family she had learned. 

     “Finally, someone who can appreciate a good joke without going all politically correct on me,“ Pyrite mocked, perfectly manicured nails pressed to her fingers as she laughed at her own joke. Her pale gold eyes flashed to the hilt Ruby held and lips pulled in self-satisfaction. “I was just talking about how much of a delight you are. Good to meet you, Mrs. Rose.”

     “Pleasure.” Not remotely.

     “So, is this a special club of hunters? Is that why Professor Arc left my bid for council out of his speech? Such colorful collusion,” Pyrite continued her wry remarks, eyes rolling over to the new mark, a young headmaster much more interested in the crab and deserts with fancy names than her moans. 

     “Nope,” Jaune remarked dryly, “just a standard fundraising hack. Beacon doesn’t get into politics,” he dropped his napkin on the congealed plate of now unappetizing food, and tossed it to one of the tables normally reserved for people, not trash, “if True Monarchy wants me to mention them, try donating,” he passed her right by, giving a friendly, and disrespectful, slap to her shoulder, “I’m off to pick up Ren and Nora. I’ll be back to conspire later.”

     “He’s charming,” Pyrite noted and brushed the blonde of her hair away from her eyes. 

     “And you’re not.” Coco took the bait, jaw clenched tight since the moment this woman interrupted the peaceful gathering. Election season already embittered them with impossibly deep trenches.

     “Excuse me?” she asked, unused to the directness of the famed fashionable Admiral Adel.

     “Mrs. Valeswood—”

     “Duchess Valeswood,” Pyrite corrected.

     “Mrs,” Coco didn’t bow out, “I don’t care about titles that have been purely ceremonial nonsense for the last hundred years. I do care about my family. Stop the slander attacks on my daughter. She’s not running against you, I am.” 

     “I didn’t attack your faunus family or the half-breed kid—”

     “Your party did,” Coco’s voice cracked just one or two decibels above the rest, their mutual political careers locked up in an untenable conversation. Pyrite meant to stir up the wasps a bit, but Ruby wagered she didn’t realized there was no half stirred with Coco. “And if you keep doing it, Valeswood, you will regret it, deeply.” 

     “Alright,” Blake stepped between them, her desire to side with her schoolmate overshadowed by her official duty, “Are you two going to separate for the evening, or am I going to have to call this in and make a scene?” Blake spoke softly and contained, eyes were on them and ears listened to every detail they could pick up.

     “You should go,” Ruby added, unwilling to say nothing at all. This had gotten out of hand and become quite disgusting.

     “Understood,” Pyrite adjusted her black suit and green armband, taking the false position as the bigger woman. “I’ll be off. Just remember, threats are the preferred tactics of the desperate. Evening.”

     All four of them watched, or more accurately glared, till she was out of earshot. The last step cracked open Weiss’ mouth. “I hope she chokes to death on Jaune’s shitty crab.”

 

* * *

 

     The party had died down, as all do eventually. The scene slowly lost its interest without the drama. One by one the guests began to drizzle out, realizing no booze could rationalize the cost of a thousand dollar tray of goose. Eventually no one remained, but the chosen few. Jaune, Weiss, Blake, Nora, Ren, and Ruby herself, each pretending to get caught up in the moment. 

     “Oh my god, I’ve missed you. It’s time for bone crushing hugs!” Nora had stayed a tiny little thing, gifted only a pair of extra inches since they met. She kept bulky arms and a cute cut of red hair, only a little longer now, incorporating two thin ponytail like streaks. She still carried around that massive hammer and dressed in thick vests interlaced with armor. Only noticeable change was the loss of her left eye, the patch and the scarring not exactly subtle

     “Don’t kill her,” Ren requested politely. He hadn't changed much either. Still soft spoken, still dressed in green, still had the pink streak even if he lost his pony tail. He had gotten a little more natural looking in his age. Stubble darkened his jaw and chin, and his hair grew longer and frayed. Plenty of time in the field had its effect. 

     “Never!” Nora dropped her catch, letting Ruby land on the dirt of the interior mansion garden, a pathway of soil and flowers only those allowed deep within ever saw. “I’m sorry we didn’t get much girl time in there, that party was so stuffy, everyone was looking at us weird.”

     “It’s because we came straight from the forest. We’re a mess, Nora.”

     “Well, we are hunters! Why would we not look like we just came back from kicking ass?” the ginger snapped back. Ruby had missed them.

     “Sorry, but we have work to do,” Weiss interrupted, leading Blake and Jaune with her down the path to the back of the mansion. There, functionally disconnected from the rest of the house, though technically part of the far and right wing, was a strange wooden structure just slightly off from the rest. It was an older building with a steeple, the original home, previously owned by a huntsmen, the mansion was built out from this center piece. Its garden had moonlight flowers, purple and white, and a small pond that shimmered blue opposed to the sterile aesthetic of the rest of the Schnee mansion. This was Ruby’s foundry, this was the hunter’s workshop, formal base for their organization. The Guardians.

     “It’s late, we’ve all had a few, can we do this tomorrow?” Ruby complained, despite unlocking the door. Double wooden inauspicious things. Slightly red in color. They chose to meet here when Ruby first moved into the workshop, officially where the organization of “The Guardians” came together. 

     The Brotherhood died with Ozpin. Though his old contacts remained, much of the organization crumbled under Qrow. He even seemed to want it that way. Wasn’t until Jaune was secretary and Pyrrha returned, that he and Weiss even considered the idea of resurrecting the old secret society, but with new ideas, new practices. They could protect the world, the maidens, and keep things calm without such… dreadful consequences. So far it worked.

     Wasn’t without critics. Even if Yang had shown up, for this, she wouldn’t have stayed. “Sorry about the mess, I really do mean to clean it up.” The air inside was several degrees warmer, but much drier than the humid night outside. The side effect of an active forge that made up the bulk of the right wing segment. 

     “Cool spiders,” Nora whispered, shuffling in and taking note of the brave arachnids that survived the heat and soot, webbing the ceiling above the iron and dust filled cupboards.  

     “I hate this place,” Weiss commented, not sharing a love for old tools and machines quite like Ruby. Opposites attract she always assumed. 

     The group passed the piles of stained books and manuals, and ignored the dark feeling of the left hand crates. All of Salem’s artifacts not to be stored in the Beacon vault hid in plain sight, the far corners of an old wooden armory.

     The back of the hunter’s workshop stood as both a headquarters, a monument, and a vault to the Guardians as well as their precursor, the Brotherhood. In the center sat a table, just flat wood with some candles, a small booklet of meeting notes, a map of Remnant, and the latest clockwork of Ruby’s next design. Behind this little altar of utility were three weapons cases. One to remember, one to use, and one to mourn. Simple Forever Fall back boards holding up the tools with large nails. Not even glass to make this as special. An uncaring eye may never notice the wonders of the workshop.

     Left were ‘the mistakes’. Designs worth keeping for the concepts, but unusable in the field. Center’s nickname was ‘the successes’, weapons made to compensate for Crescent Rose’s weakness. Fast SMG’s that fired live rounds and converted light into daggers, a sword that could distort wind she called the Storm Ruler, a cleaver that burst apart into a massive chain blade, Qrow’s great scythe, or just the railgun-zweihander called Royal Charlie.

     The last wall, the right. They were Ruby’s failures. Raven Branwen’s red odachi, Cardin’s hammer now caved in, and Yatsuhashi’s greatsword, melted into a sickened inward curve. There was a chunk of old Ember Celica, the least morbid piece and then the first two. A single of the many swords of the first Penny, Scarlet’s scabbard, and a replica of Milo, the sword spear of Pyrrha Nikos.

     And plenty more.

     “Alright,” Weiss started, skipping the formalities, “I was hoping you all might shed some light on some of the strange grimm movements that we’ve seen recently. I’ve heard there is an infestation of creeps in Emerald Forest. Doesn’t competition with the beowolves keep them out?”

     “Yeah, but they decided to get along, I guess,” Nora commented from her corner of the room, staying far away from the failures wall.

     “You _ guess _ ? Should we expect a breach?” Blake sat down on a box right next to the milo replica, the haunting space not bothering the slightly tipsy and absolutely exhausted faunus.

     “No, they seem to just be waiting around, like they did after the battle of Beacon. Sometimes they attack the students, but never in force, almost like a test,” Jaune muttered, standing above the map, opposite of Weiss, back facing the exit. He didn’t like the wall either.

     “My daughter had to blow the test up by turning into a meteor. Seems serious to me,” Weiss argued. She stood beside Ruby, eyes down on Remnant below. Considering something, maybe?

     “Yeah, I saw that, Summer was hella. Dawn, Odyssia, and Rouge, too. I’m so proud of them, my nieces and nephew are all great and beautiful.” Nora went on her tangent, bringing a small smile to all the parents in the room.

     “Unlike with the dragon, none of the grimm are new. It’s all from the outside area. We’ve noticed a drastic reduction in requests outside the city itself,” Ren noted, going back to the subject on hand.

     “Guess that's good news for some,” Ruby reasoned, even if big groups sounded a little apocalyptic. 

     “Anything like this in the other kingdoms?” Blake questioned, “And signs of Cinder’s old cells or White Fang? Anything to cause panic?” If there was something big enough to effect grimm, no one would have to ask.

     “Nothing but silence, and no, everything is normal outside Vale,” Ren answered. He was after all the eyes and ears on the ground for Jaune. Peace was an incredibly uneasy existence for a hunter. 

     “Well,” but so much better than war, “For now, we enjoy the calm of sunset before eventual nightfall.”

     “Very poetic, Ruby. Good job.” Weiss got a good chuckle from Ruby’s attempts at somberness. She was never meant to be a cynic, everyone just giggles at every attempt. At least, laughing together, they could be children just a little longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *** THIS IS SO LATE I AM SO SORRY! I just sort of broke down over the summer (but Im a-okay now) with a bunch of stuff (including my house flooding) I really hope you liked this chapter, I know it’s a bit of an info dump, but I hope everyone can enjoy the spyish mystery stuff of the adults and more traditional rwby stuff with the kids. Been super fun to world build and I hope you enjoy it (and the several bloodborne references I made, god I wanna make a crossover so bad it hurts) 
> 
> Thanks so much to Lazykazte who edited literally the day I finished and on a busy week. She is beautiful and amazing and just everyone should love her. It might be a little longer (than usually, not than the last wait) for the next chapter as next week I have to leave my house so it can have the floors replaced and walls painted.


	5. Fresh Start

**Summer Rose**

     "Let's do this, we can do this!"

     "Maybe I should do the talking?"

     "Nah, I'll be fine! ...Yeah, you do the talking."

     Bickering voices from beyond the doorway awoke Summer. She was still in her white nightie, firmly wrapped in a blanket and shielded from the direct touch of the sun, one of the many perks of her top bunk. Still, looking over across the room at Vermilion's bunk, complete with dark velvet curtains like a tiny dorm tent giving it privacy no one else had. A nice setup and Summer was reasonably jealous.

     They got the dorm assignment yesterday after team selection, the move took well into the night, but it all came out pretty well. Dawn had demanded a "faunus side" and a "human side" of the room after Vermilion asked for top bunk and Azura claimed bottom. From there it went swimmingly. Sure, Azura had quite a few...questionable possessions. After removing the box of _very_ slippery salamanders and coming to a "no _living_ wild animals" agreement, Azura managed to stuff their labs worth of junk under the bunk, practically turning it into a chest of dark wonders and experiments.

     Dawn took up most of the wall space on her side of the room. Summer counted at least three band posters, two games, and one Mountain Glenn flag checkered between Dawn's bunk and Vermillion's, though it seemed like the number and configuration changed every minute. Dawn competed with Summer for most clothes though, thank god each student got a chest of their own.

     Vermillion had brought the least with her, a personal bag she never opened had been tossed into her mostly empty trunk. Summer counted no more than four outfits, and honestly considered taking her out shopping, on Schnee's dime, of course. Not every training huntress came from money. The one thing Vermillion did have that blew everyone's collective minds, everyone but Dawn that is, was this old piece of faunus art on a scroll, these thick strokes depicting a woman ornamented with bull twisting horns striking a dragon grimm down with a spear made of lightning. Its style was apparently native faunus, and etched with calligraphy in their native language. They demanded she put it up on the wall, on her side of the bunk, open for all to see.

     Summer, lastly, tried her best to be austere. It's the sensible way of course, but little things always managed to drag her down. She put up an old painting of Forever Falls mother had given her; a calendar to assist with organization; a whiteboard, good for studying; clocks, two exactly, after all, who knows when one needs two alarms; a half case of books, mostly texts, but mom pushed a love of fiction on her; plenty of notebooks, binders, pens, two lamps, more clothes than Summer could honestly justify; and, despite her tough personality, a stack of fashion magazines. Sure, it seemed so _off_ from her usual _lady knight_ aesthetic, but what was wrong with a nice dress to go with the suit of armor? Plus, she enjoyed the underwear models, and for primarily totally not gross reasons. Summer enjoyed the fun of cute panties, nothing to judge.

     Even if she did hide them at the bottom of her trunk. Keeping appearances was important for a young leader.

     Combined, they had really made something nice, made something their own. Their team, this hodgepodge of people called SVLR. Summer didn't know Vermilion that well, but she seemed alright. Together they will learn and grow—

_Thud, thud, thud._ "Excuse me, SVLR?" One of the muffled voices from before knocked softly against their dorm door.

     "Wha?" Dawn was already stirring, her black and gold hair all over the place, ending in wavy curls that were a straightener's nightmare. Summer lept off her trunk, bouncing on the dark wood flooring. Azura had become one with their blankets, forming into a literal human cloth cacoon. Vermilion's tent lit up, so she was at least a little awake.

     "I'm coming," Summer mumbled as she shuffled on bare feet. Without a mirror to guide her, the huntress in training tried to comb through her long hair, brush out her bangs, and be more presentable. "Hello?" Summer whispered as she opened her door.

     Two people stood in matching Beacon uniforms just beyond the threshold. Twins, judging from their matching build and height, both had soft features with a bit of baby fat that looked kind of cute. Honestly, they looked like her mom in old photos. One's hair was straight black, which went well with her sapphire blue eyes and slightly boyish posture. She grinned with a friendly, if a little sleepy, expression. "Hi," she whispered with a slight hitch.

     "Hello, you're Summer Schnee, right?" The other less so. Her voice was slightly shrill and excited obviously, given the rapid tapping of her feet. She had shorter hair with offside bangs preferring her right and a pony tail. Her hair looked kind of like mom's, but with white turning to pink, accenting her lighter gray eyes. She had the dumbest goofy smile, easily the most approachable stranger in Beacon.

     "Yes, I'm Summer Schnee." The pink haired student nearly jumped. T _he hell?_ "Uh, who are you two?" Summer asked, with a confused reluctance.

     "I'm Shu, and this is my twin sister, Rosen," the jittery one answered, pointing quickly between the two of them. "We are like dorm sisters, I mean, like our team, team RUST if you remember us. Well, we are in the dorm to your right!"

     "And here I thought I was the one doing the talking," Rosen mumbled, rolling her eyes at her twin sister.

     "So," Shu continued, either not noticing or pretending not to notice her sister's shrugs, "I saw you fight the Goliath, it was astounding, the way you just—i"

     "Fell on him really hard?" Summer offered, not really near as impressed with herself as others were right now. Far as she saw it, all she did was be the cannon ball to everyone else's cannon, wasn't really glorious.

     "Yeah!" Shu didn't mind, seemed impressed by the simplicity really, "Made picking up the totems for Rosen and I pretty simple!" She punctuated with an unnatural laugh. Summer couldn't piece together why, but she was nervous.

     "Thanks for that, by the way," Rosen interrupted, "but the real reason we came," the cool headed twin coughed to clear her throat, maybe not totally un-nervous? "Was no one in RUST heard any noise from your room, and well, it's fifteen minutes till class, so, uh, good luck, Summer Schnee."

_What?_

     "Bye Summer, we should really get lunch sometime!" Shu waved goodbye as Rosen literally tugged her away. You could nearly see \ skid marks from her shoes. A cute pair, though Summer was too engrossed in her horror to appreciate it.

     "So," Dawn groaned from behind, scratching the leggings of her sleep shorts and blinking at a rate that would dull a sloth. "What did the weirdos want?"

     Summer sighed, took in a deep, soothing breath, and screamed, " _Everyone, wake up_!"

* * *

**Odyssia Nikos**

     Odyssia stared herself down in the mirror, last in the bathroom. She prefered the extra time. First day of Beacon had her shaken a lot more than she let on. No one had noticed her twitch of double checking her goods, and no one, thank god, was in here watching her fumble with her makeup. Dark purple color around the corners of her blue eyes, some concealer to wipe away all signs of her still fading acne, some lipstick, a little blush. This wasn't new, normally the affair was so snappy no one noticed the wait, but school, it made her hands jitter. God, putting a little upward flare on with eyeliner nearly cost her a cornia.

     "Why are you nervous?" she asked herself, still working on the finishing touches. Vocalizing the anxiety helped, _thank you, counselor._ "Because it's a fresh start, you only get one." She finished some powder on the cheeks, the last step, and it was looking good, her hair wasn't frizzing, nothing was showing, hell, even her neck looked good. "You have plenty of chances, and you're not fucking this up. You are the best," Odyssia practiced her vocal drills, "You're going to be the best huntress Beacon has ever seen." Overshooting? Maybe, but what other way was there to sail in life but on a star map made of dreams.

     "I'm coming in, get decent!" Rogue didn't even knock, the bathroom so small for these dorms, she felt the snap of an ice cold metal doorknob hit her bare back before she even had time to reply.

     "I'm not even dressed, get out!" Too late, her brother already shimmied in and went straight for the toilet. A groan and he defiled the dignity of her morning routine. Odyssia had been thrilled to find out each dorm room had its own bathroom, but four people to one, well, that still made things tight. Especially considering the floor space. Sink with a mirror and cabinet, toilet, then a shower, all with not even a half foot between them. It was cramped.

     "Sorry, but we don't have any time left," Rogue excused himself, lamely, in Odyssia's opinion. He was mostly dressed in the male uniform, black and gold, though his red hair could use some combing. The dude looked like a flex could rip his whole outfit in two, Odyssia swore he ordered his a size down. Seeing the huntress cover her chest with her hands the sole male of the group laughed. "Calm down, you're my _sister,_ I would be more interested seeing the nips of the family dog." Little comfort.

     "Still, it's rude!" Odyssia made sure to elbow in the kidney on her way to her bra. Teach her to try and be extra special careful not to get any makeup on her uniform. "You couldn't have held it in for like ten minutes max? It's not like I'm asking you to die before coming in here," Odyssia added, getting on her skirt and hiking it up an inch or so. She liked the way it showed off her thighs and gave her better hips. Looked great with her stockings, too, ending right above the knees. They even had little blue, bronze, then blue again bars on the outside, just her colors.

     He scoffed, shaking his head before zipping himself up. "Given class is in fifteen, no I damn well could not~" His smile was so wry his sister wanted to smack the damn thing off. Smart ass.

     "Shit," Odyssia cursed between grinding teeth, "did someone wake up Summer? She always forgets alarms!" Hurrying now, Odyssia started piling on the layers, white inside with the dark jacket top. Rogue was already pushing her aside to get to the mirror, least he washed his hands after.

     "Some weird girls from the team next to them are on it, no worries," the young man bubbled as he splashed his face, the undisciplined rubbing making it even harder to hear him. Oh well, weight lifted, Odyssia felt her shoulders slump and ease before she even knew she was stressing. Relaxed, dressed, she felt ready.

     "Alright, good," Odyssia declared, running her hands through the length of her hair before pulling it up into a ponytail. "I think I'm ready. Do I look ready? I'm ready." The younger twin sucked in a breath, then let it go, repeat. Hunting was so much easier than this bullshit.

     Rogue shot her a look of just befuddled disappointment, "Your thighs might give some poor kid a heart attack, but otherwise you got this, stop freaking out. It's dumb." He sighed, but Odyssia found it weirdly comforting. "I'm more worried about the team, I thought for sure one of us would get lead. What do you think about the others?" Someone was salty.

     "Hell no, I don't wanna lead," Odyssia snapped. She wanted to focus on taking care of herself, four others was a little out of her hands at this point in her life.

     "So you'd prefer Hera?" Rogue questioned, one eyebrow lifted. Super salty.

     "I like them," Odyssia settled on, crossing her arms and slat lining her lips. She wanted to be Summer's partner, not Antimony's, but she wasn't the devil either. A good trapper, and pretty sweet, even if she did talk too      much and loaded up her section of the dorm with way too many family photos. "Antimony fits our team construction. She's the opposite of me, heavy in melee and a sniper at range." Then there was Hera. The rabbit faunus defied the stereotype of her breed being meek by a mile. She took things seriously, too seriously, too literally, and too dramatically, and here she was with a team full of class clowns. Yet, Odyssia watched her fight when they battled the griffins harassing SVLR. "Hera's got discipline we don't have, and she works well with you, a brawler with some really versatile guns. I have faith dad shoved us together for a reason," Odyssia decided, "for now." Rogue listened without complaint, mixing together a nasty-ass protein drink. "You need to stop drinking that shit, you already have enough muscle to punch a beowulf to death without aura."

     "Oh fuck off, sis, you take your meds, I drink my shakes. Nothing bad's happened so far," Rogue punctuated with a laugh, showing he wasn't serious.

     "I need my supplements, you're just mudding up your brain chemistry for nothing."

     "Last I checked, my mood's been chill. You're the one that freaked out and cut down the bunk beds just because of a little arguing."

     "Hey, everyone wanted top bunk so bad, now everyone has it. No more whinin—i"

     There was a loud bang on the door, someone slamming it full force with their fist. "Get out of there, we're going to be late for class! Move it!" Hera's commands were muffled by the door, but by the way she barked them, Odyssia was sure the fourth years got the message pretty clearly.

     "Hera, give us a god damned minute!" Rogue shouted back, expression full of indignation and righteous outrage. "God, the nerve of some people, no patience or respect for privacy," he muttered in a gossipy whisper, shaking his head at Odyssia, who in turn just broke down into a cackle.

* * *

     Summer had caught up to Odyssia on the way to class, her and all of SVLR were still putting on socks, literally hopping along together. Summer combed her hair with her fingers, blessed with natural straightness, and just focused on fixing her knee highs. The bull faunus, Vermilion, was a little more composed. She stepped just a little above walking pace, brushed her hair as she went, and kept on sunglasses. Wasn't that bright, someone just didn't get the chance for eye shadow. Dawn didn't seem to care either way, she hiked up her skirt, ruffled out her hair, and leaned back to embrace the chaos. Azura was a mess, curly black hair locked behind a hood, still rubbing the sleepies out of their eyes, and even the skirt was put on an off angle. All of that was to be expected, anyways.

     Hera was not having it, she stomped her way down the hall, refusing to speak. Definitely one of those "we should be early!" kind of people. "So, Grimm Studies! I've been out of the game, do we know anything about who's teaching?" Antimony asked, voice cracking while she tried to break the silence. To her credit, out of all the girls she was the only one wearing her uniform totally regulation.

     "I don't know her, but the freshmen say she's apparently a real hard ass," Rouge divulged. The jacket really didn't argue with him, his broad shoulders stretching it to the limit.

     "Oh, you have no idea," Dawn laughed as she took strides ahead of the group, adept at grooming on the go.

     "Are we going to be in trouble for being late?" Antimony asked, uncomfortably twisting some hairs between her fingers. The hall was widening, the white columns spreading out to make way for the lecture hall. The classroom, auditorium style, came up on their right, number matching the one on their scrolls. All of them aside from Dawn and Vermilion checking twice.

     "Nah, she'll be later than us," Dawn replied, reaching the dark oak door before the rest of them. She didn't hesitate to kick it up and unveil their first class for them all. "Just, the professor can come on a little intense. Don't do or say anything stupid and you won't get jumped." She held it open for their twin teams, just as she said, students packed the classroom layers, but no professor. All the students hushed down to whispers, a knee jerk from Signal days. The seats were all assigned, SVLR front row, HROC right behind him. Odyssia got a great view of the back of Vermilion and Dawn's heads.

     Odyssia had seen the classrooms a few times since her father had become headmaster, but the finery still impressed her. The natural blacked oak table tops, the great windows above, flooding the place with natural light, and the banners hanging from the sides. It felt anachronistic, immortal even. Strange to think, just twenty years ago the only beings in this classroom were probably nevermore chicks cracking the wood and a beowolf sleeping below the moon.

     "So, is the professor even coming?" Hera whined, tapping her finger on the counter, a metronome of irritation, but Odyssia thought it might make a steady click track to play on.

     "I'm sure she'll be here. My dad isn't exactly hiring figments of his imagination," Odyssia joked, not hiding her family status. No point really, a cursory glance gave it away. Maybe some might question her validity being here, but her skill with a spear, what Hera had seen, well that silenced naysayers pretty well.

     "Your dad's not exactly Ozpin's second coming, you kn—i"

     "Yo!" The door nearly broke open, swung, almost put a hole in the wall, and came right back barely missing hitting the opener square in the face. An adult woman walked in, presumably the professor, eyes shadowed in glasses and a baseball cap. Someone was photosensitive today. Her hair was an untamed yellow mess going down passed her butt, which was kindly hidden by a light violet cape. She dressed in a yellow tee and blue jeans with a myriad of patches, almost like she was ready to make a dust station run. Lacking in the uniform professionalism, she wore a tang jacket over a traditional black sports coat, sleeves rolled up on one arm not to get in the way of the honey and onyx colored plates that held in the servos of an artificial arm.

     "Aunty?!" Summer whispered and shouted, a confusing mix of both. _Holy shit._ It was. Yang Xiao Long, the Vengeful Dragon of Vytal, the Phoenix of Mountain Glenn. Mrs. Long was as infamous as she was famous, though the fables, as Summer put it, often were tainted by incidents no one understood. Either way, no one questioned the prowess of this huntress, and judging by the whispers, Odyssia doubted many were questioning her identity any more.

     "Sorry I'm late, was busy getting something special for my first class," Professor Long started as she descended to the stage of the theater-like classroom. She hoisted with her a satchel over her shoulder and some sort of metal trunk covered by a trap that shook with her every step. "If anyone isn't here for freshman Grimm Studies, get out," no one moved, "Good!" Mrs. Long took to her stage and dropped the box. Odyssia swore she heard it growl.

     "I am here to instruct you on the basics of grimm hunting," the huntress took off her glasses and revealed her lilac eyes that almost hid the red lines in the white, "Identify species, habits, strategies, and real world techniques, but most importantly, I'm here to scare the hell out of you." She didn't need to shout, Mrs. Long proved pretty good at speaking with a completely normal tone several degrees louder than anyone else. "Every time you have encountered grimm, it has been a lie. It was controlled, safe and managed. Adults made sure nothing could ever happen. One day you will leave this place and go out into the world. It will not be preplanned, clean, managed, safe. We will not save your ass, no, you kids are going to be doing that saving. Never let safety theater drain you of your fear," Yang spoke with her hands, specifically her lost arm. Whether this was natural or not, Odyssia did not know, but it felt effective. "Let me tell you, if I do my job right, you'll leave this school in control of it, but terribly afraid, 'cause there is a hell of a lot out there to be scared of." Mrs. Long sighed and with it the entire class did as well. Even Odyssia noticed she was holding her breath, almost laughed at herself. "Welp!" Yang snapped to a crisp tone full of summer weather, "Welcome to my class, any questions?"

     Dawn sank deeper into her chair, arms crossed, desperately trying to vanish. Embarrassed? "Professor, did you really break some kid's leg during the final Vytal festival?" one human girl in the back asked. Odyssia did not recognize her or her team.

     "Oh yeah." _Well damn._ "Next question?"

     "Did you really, like, die during the reclaiming of Mountain Glenn?"

     Yang scoffed, putting her hands on her hips and shaking her head no. "If I died how would I be able to answer that? I have no idea how the stupid phoenix thing started." Odyssia did, urban legend had it, Yang Xiao Long had been killed several times before, one time in Mountain Glenn, impaled by a grimm she burst into flames, alive in the ash. "Come on, try to focus on the class? Any questions related to the course?"

     No one. "Good!" Professor Long announced with infectious glee, "Now for our introduction, meet Veir." The professor slammed her fist on the top of the concealed cage, metal door popping off and out of its white cloth Everyone had their eyes glued to that box, excited, some scared, some confused. Vermillion thumbed her sword, kept on her belt instead of in her locker. Summer peeled her eyes open so wide you'd think she might be taking a long-exposure photo, Rogue leaned out of his chair, and Dawn, well, someone had to act like they didn't care.

     A second, nothing. At two, nothing. Three? At three grimm bone claws shredded the veil and a creeper charged out. A boy screamed, Antimony shouted something about God, and Vermilion reacted. The huntress in training leaped from her chair, onto the wood counter, unsheathed, and split that creeper's face down the center. All before the white threads hit the floor.

     A rush of boiling grimm blood smeared the flooring, the room murmured in static, and Dawn cursed, "oh shit." Professor Long just stared at her student, stared so angrily Odyssia was starting to expect some fire to burst through the back of her head. Seemed Dawn got that red eye thing from her mother. Yang Xiao Long was crimson as the tide at dusk.

     "Nice vertical slice there, bud. My mom does it better, but solid," the professor punctuated with a venom dripping click, "So, why did you just go and kill my new pet after I spent all night dragging it out of the Emerald Forest? Seems a little rash, don't it?"

     "Grimm are too dangerous to be pets, much less left in a classroom!" Vermilion shouted at first, but from the shake in her leg, Odyssia guessed she was starting to gather exactly who the hell she was lecturing.

     "Miss," the professor bit the end of her lip, snatching her mouth shut like a box keeping something inside, before opening a moment later, "Lance, I've been breaking grimm skulls with my bare hands since before you were even a fetus bitching in your mama's belly about how the world's too god damn perilous," the _V_ engeful Dragon was one of many nicknames, and Odyssia was really feeling its meaning with how she walked up to Vermillion's desk, each step shoving the young huntress back into her seat with the power of her presence, "I am not wrong to suggest I am explicitly an expert in exactly how dangerous grimm are?" The black grimm blood had vanished, all could see the pure steel chain and collar on the floor.

     "Yes, professor," Vermillion muttered from her seat, head tilted down, her face out of Odyssia's view, "I'm sorry, I just can be too cautious with the grimm."

     "Lance, in this classroom, we trust our fellow hunters and don't jump the gun, understood?"

     "Yes, professor," she mumbled back. Poor girl.

     "I don't think you do, so to get the point across we're going to spend our first class doing laps around the school. Everyone!" The audience groaned collectively, the moment's juiciness vanished at the thought of physical training. Vermillion was mortified, unwilling to look up, just stand and bow. Summer opened her mouth to say something, but gave up it seemed. Even Mrs. Long seemed to feel bad, lip twitching at the sorry sight. Yet, only Dawn bothered to protest.

     "Come on, Professor Long, leave the foreign girl alone. She's still learning the ropes of the civilized life," Dawn mumbled, coming off between pretentious and even racist from Odyssia's perspective. _Does she have a problem with Vermillion?_

     "Miss Bella-Long, since you've known me since you've existed, how well do I take getting interrupted?" Professor Long answered, both elated and annoyed at the intrusion guessing from the glare and smile.

     Dawn sighed a long breath, smiling wryly at her mother. "Not at all."

     "You go girl, but I see your point. Only you two have laps, everyone else gets to sit in class."

     The hunters cheered, the thud of people sitting adding a nice percussion to Dawn and Vermillion's combined, "Yes, Professor."

     "Aunty, what about the class they're missing!" Summer called out before anyone could leave. _God damn it, you do not need to be a hero, Summer, it's just laps!_ Professor Long laughed, her smile appearing genuine this time, no sarcasm.

     "And you, too, Miss Schnee," she added to the convicted list, chastising softly this time with plenty of familial affection, "I'm Professor Long to you here."

     The moment was ruined by a thud. Azura Rose's face planted on the desk like a hammer. "Great, now I have to go, too, or I'm the team ass!" Oh, SVLR was already fun

* * *

**Summer Schnee**

     The morning heat wasn't at murder levels yet, the sun only just started baking. Still, even with the gentle breeze and the sporadic shade of the flying buttresses, Summer was not a runner. She had a motorcycle, she wore heavy armor, her family owned a fleet of airships, she was an urban child, her inborn supernatural ability was to teleport. Summer was born _not_ to run. This was unnatural.

     "Oh my god, please no," Summer huffed, bending over to heave on the sidewalk. Nothing came up. After fifteen laps around the perimeter and nothing to eat, Summer's body just had nothing left to spare. She stumbled and dropped against a column, the cool stone was so cold to the touch, she was in love. _God, our next class is dueling._

     "Do you need help?" Vermillion asked, her and Dawn ran in place under orders that if either foot stayed on the ground for longer than ten seconds, they would have extra special training all week. Azura simply skipped on by. Lucky, the kid just had to walk.

     "No, uh, I'm okay. Uh, I just need, uh, to breathe," Summer huffed as she dragged herself forward. She could feel her long silver strands of hair get heavy with sweat. Rumor had it Professor Nikos let the kids take a shower after dueling. _Cold water, the dream, s_ he thought, tying her hair up into a ponytail was a good enough excuse to stop

     "Are you dehydrated?" Vermilion took off her sunglasses to look her over. She had such pretty red irises, kind of creepy, like dark blood, but still pretty in its own way.

     "No, she's just heavier than us, no slacking, Lance!" Dawn chuckled, jogging on ahead of them with athletic ease.

     "I'm not fat!" Summer shouted after her, gripping a hard crafted tummy. She worked so tirelessly to keep her diet in balance, not everyone was born looking like a combat champion. _Insolent little..._ "I'm just a bit more built than you two! Muscle weighs a lot..." Summer mumbled, the last bit ending in a pout.

     Dawn apparently heard her and in the distance Summer could hear, "So does ice cream, and cookies, and cake~" That taunt, and the devil's laugh. Summer's cheeks turned pink, hands shaking with embarrassment. Suddenly she felt like she could run again, that demon was still in sight, after all.

     "Dawn, I can teleport, don't think I can't catch up to your ass!" Summer may have had a _bit_ of a sweet tooth. It was a stress thing. Couldn't help it. She sighed, shocked to feel a tug on her arm.

     "Don't lean against the wall, it'll make getting started harder." Vermilion pulled her back on her own too feet, playing as her support as they started once again. This time at just above a walking pace.

     Together, they kept moving, passed the library, through the senior class tower, and even passed their own dorm. Judging from the time, this was probably their last lap, and they took it mostly in silence, a pair, with Dawn ahead, she occasionally looked back from afar, and Azura, wherever the little one was now. The only sound came from birds and the whispered steps against the solid stone blocks of their path. Eventually all silences crumble, and Summer broke first.

     "So, Dawn is my cousin, Azura is my sibling, so I kind of know everyone, but you."

     "And I know no one, but myself," Vermillion replied, sliding her arms around her chest.

     "Not exactly even footing," Summer complained. Every time the pair spoke it was all business. What side of the room was whose, where to place things, what was their course schedule, what grimm to kill. Nothing organic.

     "No, not exactly," Vermilion sighed. Had to be harder for her, Summer realized. The rest of the team had friends _and_ family. The faunus had, well, she had her horse, apparently locked up in the Beacon stables. Summer didn't even believe they had stables until she heard that. Rural life had to be weird.

     "So, I had a dog Zwei when I was a baby and then my second dog Drei until about two years ago. They were such cute corgis," Summer listed, picking one of many factoids. She had considered getting another dog, but that would be for another time, didn't want to spring it on the roommates just yet. "Now you."

     "What?"

     "Tell me a fact about you," Summer explained, despite feeling it was pretty self explanatory. "It's team building, from here we can find shared interests and bond as a team." Vermilion Lance, a strange girl from a strange place, Summer was thirsty to know more.

     "That makes it sounds a little direct?" Vermilion complained.

     "I beat grimm better than I beat around the bush," Summer chuckled, "Now you owe me two facts." Vermilion sucked in a gallon of air, pausing only for a second before deciding on something.

     "I am a huntress in training and I can turn my Aura into electron currents." _Lame._

     "Not only do I know that already, those two are the _only_ things I already know about you."

     "Oh, you noticed that, did you?" Summer glared at Vermilion, trying to rip her face off with a hateful stare. Vermilion smiled for once, shying away from Summer. "I'm joking, I'm not good at talking about myself."

     "Do it anyways," Summer dismissed, tired of excuses, "What do you like to do?"

     "I…I like plays and art?" Vermilion offered. A surprisingly tasty tidbit. Judging from the scroll, the art wasn't surprising. Summer wondered if she was an artist as well? Or an actor.

     "Like theater?" Summer clarified. Picturing Vermilion giving a proper monologue in iambic pentameter all dolled up made her smile. Somehow it fit. Vermilion pulled off the traditional feminine and masculine looks so well. The flowing wavy hair and red lipstick, yet her clothes always looked kind of like black suits. She'd look good in a tux, Summer was sure.

     "Probably not what you're thinking. My tribe is nomadic, so we don't keep a lot of our own books, they weigh too much, and what we do are texts for the kids still in school. We tell our stories in performances out in the middle of our temporary towns. We don't have theaters, at least not like the ones here, so opulent." Now she was talking, lost in her own explanation, hook line, and sinker.

     "Well, we all have a date for the theater then, SVLR team activity," Summer suggested. This walk had taken a turn for the relaxing, Aunty Long was going to kill them both.

     "Once I make enough money, perhaps," Vermilion mumbled.

     "I'll pay. You have a job?" Summer changed the subject before anyone could complain, a technique she learned after many years of taking the bill from her less well off friends.

     "I am a huntress," Vermillion explained with a chuckle. Huntresses rarely got rich, but even less rarely were they unemployed. Still, there was one problem...

     "Without a license? That's not exactly legal," Summer chastised. Hunters trained for years before getting cleared. They were separate from government, not free from government.

     "I won't be hunting, perse," Summer gave her a look, she got the message, "My employer wants a huntress in training to look tough. It's for a faunus night club, I'm a fancy bouncer. Still against Beacon's rules, but I can't afford it without the pay. I'm not asking you to lie for me, but as our team leader, can you be discreet about it?" Vermilion probably realized she was just digging the hole deeper, but the honesty was prefered.

     "If you promise to keep safe," Summer felt the strange moral quandary put before her, first of many probably for a leader. She wondered how her mom would handle that. _Trust your team_ , was one of her first lessons, after all. "And if I get a free question," Vermillion rolled her eyes, but did not say no, prompting Summer further, "Why are you here at Beacon? What made you pick hunting over art or theater?"

     "Not fair, it's my turn... I think?" Vermilion complained, again not saying no.

     "Yes, but I have the blackmail."

     "Alright," Vermillion relinquished. Her shoulders slumped and mouth pulled towards the right, thinking hard like she had never once pondered the question. That made sense in a way, Summer rarely wondered about her fate. "Well, honestly, I picked hunting because the world needs more warriors than actresses. Also, I'm just better at it." She pulled at her sword, the black sheath and red wrapped handle glimmered in the daylight. She seemed proud.

     "Yeah, you are pretty good at splitting chained up grimm in half." That pride vanished into a pool of regret and shame. They both laughed, but Vermilion did so cupping her face in her hands. Summer thought she might have heard a muffled 'why' somewhere in there, too.

     "Please don't," Vermilion groaned, taking in one deep depressing gulp of air before moving on, "Well then, I suppose I should ask you that as well. Why are you becoming a huntress? And don't tell me it's because you're good at falling on things."

     "Duty," Summer replied. As naturally as she took toward being a huntress, what she was going to be was never really a question. She grew up without going hungry, without being denied a single thing she ever wanted, but there was a price to that. She existed for a purpose, becoming someone worth the Schnee legacy. "My mother always taught me that we all have a responsibility to this world, I just—i" The bell caught her off guard, the great clock tower signaled the hour up and everyone was to switch classes, if they had them. They had Professor Nikos... on the other side of campus. "Shit, time for dueling. Let's go!" Summer snatched Vermilion's hand and just went, sprinting as fast as she could, which honestly probably was several degrees slower than her, but the young Schnee could think about that later.

     "Wait, you weren't done!"

     "We'll finish after class!" Summer blurted out, picking up speed. "Trust me, there is plenty more I want to know!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *** New summer's Vale finally~ I missed my babies so much and it was fun to write them. Hoping this less actiony chapter was fun! Building characters and relationships!
> 
> Writing Adult Yang is fun, writing teacher Yang is funner. After all the stuff she's been through and her reputation ruined, I imagine she would probably try and be pretty iron fisted with her class. At least with her freshmen, got to shake up the incoming class, get them ready cause it's the real stuff. I imagine once you're in her senior level classes she ends up being way more chill. Also, don't worry, Port's still alive and teaching, though less so now. He instructs mostly upper level courses and focuses on his own health.
> 
> Lastly, sorry this is so late! Also just some news for those interested in my life and my work. As many of you may have noticed my releases have all slowed to 1-2 a month. I've been leading some projects outside of fanfiction that I can't wait to share with you as well as getting sick all july (it sucks) but that's kind of why. I'm hoping to keep improve though as we go on to maybe 3 a month?
> 
> Next is the last Paradise lost of a side request thats done and waiting on cover art soooo see you sooner than last time I think!


	6. A Killer

**Yang Xiao Long**

     Yang's knuckles popped against Vert's jaw bone. The six foot sailer tumbled face first into the side of a tables. The man was out like that, blood tinted drool leaking from his mouth and consciousness a million miles away. He had his mates to pick him up, probably smack him around some to keep a concussion at bay. That was the risk of stepping into the ring, well if shoved aside furniture counted as a ring, with a huntress. Even without Aura, she was leagues better than this shit-hole's finest.

     "Alright, who's next?! I want another round!" Yang was feeling the high tonight. He hit like a baby in shock, but the few licks he landed stung in just the right ways. She hoped the next one could leave at least a bruise.

     "We've had enough, huntress. We get your lot are all better than us, you don't need to kick the normal people into the mud!" one woman grumbled from the audience, though Yang couldn't make her out well enough. Two-third of a bottle of Mistral's Finest down and everyone's face started to blur like melting wax.

     "Oh trust me, I ain't being a huntress with you all. I'm fair and square." The room felt tilted to the left and nothing quite at level, except for Yang's body. Her muscles knew what to do, even if she had turned her brain into rum soup. "Don't be a wuss, come on~"

     "Fine." A different girl, this one had a rougher voice, less inclined to talk shit. Fighters always were. Her hair was held back into a ponytail, and Yang noticed the duel axe sigil of the Valen army tattooed to her chest, right above the cut off, with some words she was way too drunk to read. Soldier girl had a boxer's stance, hips straight, shoulders up, head down, and knees bent.

     "Thanks for your servus," Yang slurred. Someone needed to hit her in the jaw to fix that. "Please don't take me kicking your ass as lack of gratitude." Yang meant it seriously, but the girl's jaw clenched down hard, she was gonna swing.

     First right punch Yang took willingly for being a smart ass. The knock to her teeth sobered her up so the follow through from the left was slapped away like nothing. She stepped back, spat a little bit of blood on the floor, and defaulted to combat position. The girl was fast, but telegraphed her moves. All Yang needed to do was wait for a—

     "Cops!" the door man shouted from the bar's entrance. He bounced the door against someone's leg, the officer already in. Everyone looked at Yang with either slacked jaws or clenched glares. Totally unfair. Just because she was the wife of the chief of police didn't make her— _yeah, no it's fair_.

     "Excuse us," the first officer, a fox faunus forced himself passed the doorman. The second one strutted into the building like she had the deed to the place. The white legs of her open trench coat followed right after the heavy click of her heels. The woman's black top had only the mark of Vale's police on her, the national sigil tagged to her chest. Blake Belladonna didn't need a uniform. People loved her or feared her, no one dared disrespect her. Except Yang.

     "Hey babe, what are you doing here?" The fight's audience all split away to their corners. There was already an exodus of people vanishing out the back. If Blake was actually pulling a sting, there would be cops there, too. Dumb move. Idiots. Watching an illegal fight wasn't illegal. Just hosting and fighting in it very much was. Yang was fucked.

     "Bar fights. Really?" Blake raised her eyebrow at Yang, the only one still standing in the center of the room. Blood stained her lips, and her hair _had_ to be a mess right now. Yang smiled and Blake turned away from her and back to the bartender, who just so happened to own the place. He was scurrying through legal papers, probably not his first mass arrest. "Do I need to even ask if you have the permits? It's clearly not up to code."

     "Chief Belladonna, I know what it looks lik—"

     "Don't," Blake raised her hand to shut him up before he really dug himself in too deep, "for now, this is a warning. If you host one more fight, I'll come back with a warrant and drag you all out of this place. _Not one more fight_." Everyone deflated. The crowd was melting together into a nice soup with the tension gone. Yang smiled, feeling somehow responsible.

     "Yes Ma'am. Bar's closed, everyone out!" Soon as the order was given people nearly trampled each other to go. Several gave Blake a nod goodbye, maybe her leniency might even win her a few votes. _Might lose her some, too._

     Yang sashayed over to Blake. The chief of police hadn't lost her tenseness, it showed in her shoulders and tightly shut jaw. "Thanks for not getting everyone in trou—"

     "Yang Xiao Long, you're under arrest for assault. Would you like me to read you your rights?" Chief Belladonna listed like a grocery list. Sure, it wouldn't be the first thing on Yang's arrest record, but first from her own wife.

     "Blake, come the fuck on, really?" Blake ignored the sass. She forced Yang against the bar. The hard oak would have bruised Yang's stomach if she had been any rougher. From that position, expertly Blake snapped handcuffs to the huntress. As if a steel toy could do anything to stop her. "Handcuffs? My right arm can literally disconnect, you've basically given me a flail!" Blake was undeterred. Apparently she had nothing to say, just dead glares. Blake dragged Yang by the cuffs outside. It was raining that night. Droplets popped off Yang's head as she was carted towards the chief's personal car. "Blake, damn it why are you doing this!"

     Blake popped the back door open, treating Yang a little better than a crook. At least this car didn't have a steel grate between her and the driver. "Please, get in."

     Yang didn't fight it, Blake didn't force it. She just sat down, squirmed against her police cuffs and waited. Blake took the driver's seat, alone, and started them off. They turned onto the first road, took a left, then another left. Not the station.

     "Okay, can you now tell me what the hell this is about?" Yang grumbled from the back. The alcoholic high had turned into a migraine, the only comfort to be found was propping her head against the glass like an ice pack.

     "You broke the law," Blake offered, but didn't commit to.

     "You jaywalk across the street every time you go grocery shopping," Yang countered, "Look, I was just enjoying a night out. It's not like it's that bad!" Inappropriate to do instead of going home, absolutely, but not _that_ bad.

     Blake didn't have a response at first. She made another left, slapped her windshield washers to auto, and a fourth left. That swashing sound turned into a metronome. Yang's headache lovingly conformed to its pattern.

     "So," Blake started when she finally found her words, "Velvet's enjoying her new job as dorm mother. Apparently it's not uncommon for students to have a break down after the first week," Blake's voice echoed detached, but her fingers one by one gripped the wheel so hard Yang feared they'd turn blue.

     "Oh," Yang sighed, realizing how much of a prick she looked like right now. She had avoided home successfully so long, she had forgotten the reason for it was a complete fabrication. "I'm not cheating on you, if that's what you think."

     "I know you're not," Blake answered, quickly. Yang appreciated that. "You're just lying and hiding from me." Less so that.

     "Yeah, it's shitty, I get it," Yang admitted, "But it's temporary. I just need to get over some things before I can go home. It's temporary." Originally the plan was only to be gone a week. Gods, how quickly a week turns to three when avoiding something. "And I'm serious about the cheating thing. My hotel is as dry as I've been without you," Yang chimed, trying to bring a little humor to an completely unfunny situation.

     Blake didn't laugh. She didn't say anything, actually. Not even a grunt. Just silence. Her disappointed sigh and the window washing wush-wush were the only things competing for her attention.

     Eventually, like always, Yang broke under silence. "Yeah, I know it doesn't make it okay, but as the queen of running away from your problems I figure you can understand I need my space after you pulled that shit with Dawn!"

     "What?!" The car made a hard stop on green, Yang smacked against Blake's seat. She got that pop to the face she wanted, after all. "Yang, I have been searching for you for weeks, you don't come home, and I don't even know why? What the hell do you mean 'shit I pulled with Dawn'?!" Blake was screaming at that point, the car completely stopped in the middle of the road.

     "She got herself held back for you, and you know it," Yang mumbled her long held, never spoken theory.

     "What?" Blake snapped again, "I was as surprised as you to hear she failed her final exams. Yang, you can't blame me for everything wrong in our fami—"

     "You're the smartest woman I've ever met, Blake. If I could figure it out, you can to. You know she'd do anything to get your approval—"

     "She has my approval!"

     "Shut up and let me finish," Yang ended their string of interruptions, nothing was going to work that way. God, what hell were they in where _she_ needed to be the grown up. "You openly talked in front of her about how worried you were for Summer's safety, that the SDC needed to make sure she had one of 'our' people as her partner in case the 'White Fang' showed up from beyond the grave, whatever. Suddenly she fails, for no reason, and you get your agent on SVLR."

     "I didn't mean Dawn. Or anyone like that. If Jaune wasn't so stupid as to let Adam's—"

     Yang was not abiding excuses. "You let it happen, and you weren't digging deep enough to see why this happened. Blake, either you wanted this, or you're too fucking focused on politics to pay attention to your daughter fucking up her life, you tunnel visioned idiot!" She cemented her point with full kick to the back of Blake's chair. Harmless, but it made her feel better.

     "I'm in politics for her, Yang!" Blake shouted, and she wasn't lying. Thing was, the 'why' eventually vanishes from Blake's whole thinking. It's just complete the goal, catch the bad guy, what's it matter if I, and the people who love me lose sleep? There is only the goal.

     "Just let me out. I don't want to go home. If you're not going to arrest me, let me out of this car. Unlike the fluffy kind, I don't enjoy these handcuffs," Yang leaned back, sighed and collapsed against the door. Her eyes closed, she could hear the rain. That beat soothed the migraine.

     "Yang, I love Dawn and you." Blake did.

     "I know, we love you, too." And they did.

     "When are you coming home?" Yang won, she supposed. Especially given the rattling of Blake's scroll.

     "I don't know, eventually."

     Blake touched a button, and Yang's cuffs came loose. One dangerous app to leave on the CCT network. Yang rubbed the only wrist that could actually feel irritation. As weird as it sounded, she was looking forward to walking back to the hotel. It was a wonderful thing for her cybernetic arm. Made it feel alive.

     "Are you thinking about divorcing me?" Blake slammed into Yang's train of thought. She asked the question like one asks a judge 'how many years'. Forlorn defeat.

     "No, idiot," Yang scoffed, bringing her arms around the chair in front of her. Blake felt cold, that little walk had dampened her trenchcoat. Yang needed to buy her an umbrella. She worked so hard, never took care of herself the right way. _Dummy_. "I could kill you right now, but I know you, Blake. I know you get too into things. I know exactly how dumb you can get. We married knowing we're a bunch of fuck ups. I mean, having to decide on whether to have Dawn probably sped that the hell up, but I still knew. Nothing's changed."

     "I d—" Blake stopped herself from saying anything more. Yang felt the big bad chief of police squeeze her hand like a kid with a teddy bear. The pop of the car door lock releasing came next.

 _Slipped from your grasps again, coppers!_ Yang chuckled at herself. As hot and angry as she felt right now, a lovely walk through the rain could do only good.

* * *

**Vermilion Lance**

     Vermilion made her schedule law, always had. She found a certain comfort in knowing exactly what should be done in a day. Sunday, despite it being the third one, already found something of a set manifest. Eight, Summer woke up, performed calisthenics as quietly as she could, but a miniscule groan coming around eight twenty-three always woke the faunus up. She didn't mind. Summer's breath hitching when her sit ups hit around the third digits was better than blaring beeps.

     Vermilion would nimbly descend from her bed, they would share a good morning nod, and nothing more. Best to keep Dawn from stirring. The first step on the laminated dark oak already piped up those cat ears. Death stalkers were less vigilant.

     The bathroom gave her some freedom. Vermilion could change quickly without the same agonizing caution. For now, she slid off her black bed robe and took on the more practical tank and sport shorts (a gift from Summer). Enjoying the silence, she cut a special moment out to set aside her regular dress for the day. Usually Vermilion would stay in uniform, though she had noticed a _laxness_ in dress code even on school days. However, today was...the wold special made her nauseated. What was special about a chore? There was an extra step today, another notch on her list. Today she would need to be dressed in her black robes. Thicker than they looked, but lighter than one would believe. Arm guards, leg guards, a versatile protection for any fighter, and of course, a huntress' sword. No one gave weapons even a second thought at the academy, not even a glance. Everything but her sword she folded ready in her own predecided partition of the bathroom.

     Step two, visit Yari, her mare. She had vastly underestimated how rarely humans from the city used horses. Not the fastest transportation, but quick enough to outrun a beowolf and most important, its fuel came in feed bags, didn't explode, and of course, wasn't finite. Vale opulence could not be understated. Still, Beacon predated dust mass cultivation and its stables were still kept up. Ranging hunters and the handful of students kept personal horses. The place was nothing fancy, and a half quarter mile walk from the dorms, her white spotted black horse clopped forward from its corner of the yard, a fenced off enclosure for the females. Grounds keepers brought them into the barn during rainstorms, otherwise they roamed their forty foot grass fields waiting on students to feed them. After all, Beacon wasn't a charity.

     "Yari, I've got something for you," Vermilion shouted in her native faunus language, thankful no one was around to give her a belittling glare, "It's breakfast." Vermilion pulled a bag from her storage, about two pounds now, two more before they hit the road. "I'll be back in a few, we need to take a trip into town." Yari ignored her for the most part, far too hungry to care about her particulars. Like most Sundays, she indulged in brushing the mare, taking ten minutes to enjoy her life long partner, and departed with a wave. Not that Yari cared.

     Step three, laps. Summer might be able to lift her, Dawn, and the damn horse all at once, but proper cardio, that was the faunus' dominion now and forever. Before hitting the dining hall, Vermilion challenged herself the same way: get near five miles in half an hour. She never quite made it without aura, but she was getting closer every week. By the time she smashed through the pain and scorching inside her legs, Vermilion had arrived into the good graces of an air conditioned breakfast buffet.

     Sunday left the place surprisingly low on students, though easily thirty or so could be seen fixed strategically and socially stationed every so often down the tables. Half the school was sleeping in, the other third in town or with family. It was Vermilion's favorite time. No lines, no questions. She could pick up a simple meal for two to go, no one would even pretend to care. Matching muffins, a box of white rice, three apples (one for Yari), and frosted bun. Summer seemed enamored by them, and hey, whatever gave Vermilion another edge when it came to the twenty meter dash.

     "Here's breakfast." At ten, despite Dawn's struggles to stay asleep, the dorm lost its privileges as a quiet zone. No matter how much the cat groaned and shuffled in her bed, it wasn't going to keep everyone shut up forever. "The rice is for both of us, one muffin and one apple for each. The bun is yours." Vermilion could swear Summer shut down mid squat, eyes looking through her and right at the bag. SVLR's leader had quite the unbecoming appetite.

     "Anything for me?!" Azura popped up from beneath the sheets of the bottom bunk. The kid's hair was frayed even worse than usual, starting to curl right up to the color line. Someone slept in late.

     "No, you're usually out and about on your own by now, so I didn't think to get you anything. I'm sorry, Azura." Summer was already snatching the breakfast bag for herself, finding the bun first and foremost.

     "Thank you so much!" The Schnee could eat, and after working out for two hours, nothing on Remnant could stop her. The faunus couldn't blame her really, the churning in her stomach from fresh burned calories made her wish she was just as piggish. She didn't eat though. Something about sitting together, eating, with Summer, she couldn't do it rank from a full five miles away. She sighed, accepted fate, and went to wash.

     Vermilion prefered baths. A warm water soak while not efficient, peeled more than dirt off her. Valens almost always used showers, just straight streams designed to smash off the sweat. It worked, but Vermilion never grew to enjoy it as much.

     She had her tiny tiled corner, each one covered with hair and body products. Summer had the most by far: a body wash, skin cream, soap spud, conditioner, treatment, and shampoo. All high priced. The girl was charmingly spoiled. Dawn came in second, cheaper products, but just as much for her hair, only one soap and rag though. Azura had the least, three in one body wash, conditioner, and shampoo from a bargain store. Strange to think they were bloodbound family. Vermilion had all her products from home. Handmade soap, a spud, and yellow lathing bar of hard shampoo to keep her hair smooth. Better for her skin than any slapped-together prepackaged products. Ridiculous that she was even focusing on that, Summer's a bad influence.

     The hot water boiled away her thoughts and all the outside sounds. She got a brief second free of all the coins still up in the air. Putting things off, it wasn't her way. Today, good or bad, she'd see it through and end it. Today was the first day in seven years she'd see her father and, if the gods were good, the last.

     Vermilion turned the water off and sighed in one last steam lined breath. There was noise as she dried herself off, which was not unusual. She counted the combat scars on her body and took a blow drier to her hair, one of the better things about reliable electricity, and brushed it back to normality. She didn't even notice the vast ramping up clamor until the wood of their window cracked against the panel and people began shouting.

     Vermilion slammed the bathroom door open, half dressed with her sword and scabbard in hand. "Is everyone okay?" her voice trailed off as the scene she was witnessing froze in place. Azura was bouncing on the bottom mattress, Summer was rushing to catch someone falling out of the window, a woman in red with a basket clearly not meant to c— _Wait, this is the third floor_.

     "Mom, just let me—" Summer yelped, trying to fit the full grown adult through a window. _What is this school…._

     "Don't worry, I got this!" the stranger— _Summer's mother?_ — snapped back, slapping the hand that grabbed at her. "You act like I've never snuck into one of these dorms!" The red, the cloak, the...oddness. Vermilion knew this woman, or of her. The huntress Ruby Rose, the 'Red Queen of Roseland' the faunus had called her, often with a bit of mockery or disdain. The Red Queen didn't know how to use a door.

     "Excuse me," Vermilion mumbled, unwilling or unable to process the smuggling of someone worth billions of lien through a porthole. She had clothes to get on, boots to fit, insanity to ignore. Which was hard, after Mrs. Rose smashed into the floor with a painful dull thud.

     "Mom!"

     Once Vermilion came back out, the dorm room gained a bit of normalcy. Mrs. Rose hugged Azura and was shaking the kid back and forth like any overzealous parent. Summer smiled without the usual nervous stress that tugged at her lips. Dawn was unchanged, still face down in her bed, trying, trying so hard to pretend the room was silent.

     "I missed all of you so much! I was losing my mind!" Mrs. Rose was several times strong enough to lift Azura up and hold them with one hand. The other she reached out to Vermilion with a smile so wide she looked like a cartoon. No one ever mentioned the Red Queen was this...lively. "Vermillion Lance, right? I'm Ruby Rose, Summer and Azura's mom. I saw you during the trials, you were awesome!"

     "Thank you," Vermilion fumbled, "I'm glad to be working with your daughter." Vermilion took her hand in a practiced shake. This was a master huntress? A girl, _woman_ , with messy long hair, a sunny aura, and easy posture. She looked too young for middle age, either had Summer early in life or just perpetual baby face. Maybe both. Vermilion didn't feel the air of authority from her, but a sudden rush of comfort.

     "Summer's right, you are so polite," Ruby noted blanky.

     "What? Summer talks about me?" Vermilion thought she stopped herself, but from the red on Summer's cheeks and how mortified she looked, she did not. _I really just said that._

     "Classified," Ruby countered, "I brought goodies for everyone!" Azura wiggled happily in her arms, acting closer to seven than fifteen. Whatever, Vermilion was happy food could distract from the momentary awkward wall she had just walked them all into.

     "I hope it's not hot. We kinda just had breakfast, mom. Sorry," Summer mentioned, food all finished with Vermilion's still waiting for her. She happily took a spot next to her leader on the floor and went for what was left of the rice, still warm from a good steaming.

     "It's all good. I would have called, but I wanted to make sure you didn't run away soon as the adult comes strutting in. Plus, I _sorta, kinda_ , promised your mother I wouldn't do stuff like this, but whatever, you'd never tell on me. Right?" Summer restrained a snort. Vermilion had never thought the Schnee's would have any sort of light-hearted shenanigans in their homelife.

     "I guess it depends on what you got us," Azura gambled. Ruby rolled her eyes and dropped the young charlatan.

     "These are gift's, not bribes!"

     "We'll see~" Azura sung, happy to double down on the joke.

     "Fine, well then. First for the ungrateful child, I got you some more dust for your mixtures. Don't kill your teammates, 'kay?" Mrs. Rose dug out of her bag a thin cylinder of dust, subdivided by color. The fine powder form was most potent and absolutely necessary for all advanced mixtures. It was also frighteningly expensive.

     "Dawn, I got you a bunch of energy bars since I worry you don't get enough food. Here you go, honey." Her niece was still buried in a pillow, but Mrs. Rose wasn't the least bit inhibited. She threw a set of six right at her head, eliciting the most pissy groan Vermilion ever heard.

     "For Summer, I brought you all the healthy alternatives to sugary snacks." One by one, Ruby Rose brought out fruit after fruit, sometimes canned sometimes fresh. At least half of her whole hall of goodies was fruit. "Apples, oranges, got some canned peaches, all things you should go to first if you're feeling the urge to binge."

     "You didn't need to get so much," Summer mumbled as she found herself outlined in food offerings. "It's a nervous habit, okay? I'm getting better with avoiding sweets." Her grumbling in its own way seemed rather endearing. Vermilion happily scarfed down her meal, watching her squirm.

     "Last, but not least, Vermilion!" The faunus missed with her chopsticks, shocked to even make it on the list. She wasn't family, what would Mrs. Rose even get her? "I know we just met, so I don't know you real well, but I hope this is the beginning. I baked you some cookies." She revealed a bag of thin cracker-like chocolate chips. Vermilion took the bag in her hand and felt momentarily overwhelmed. Her cultural norms kicked her in the head, not having a gift to give back felt horribly wrong. The Red Queen, she was just a sweet—

     "I made them sugar free. I understand type one diabetes runs in your family." The warm feeling comforting in Vermilion's belly was replaced with a cold vacuum. She dropped the cookies in her lap, the bag landing right next to the rest of her food. She lacked the appetite to eat at all. _She knows. She's telling me she knows._

     "Are you alright?" Mrs. Rose whispered with the practice of an experienced mother. She moved forward, got close to Vermilion. Close enough the faults started to show: shifts in the cartilage of the nose, divots in her jaw line from a claw, pink and white healed over scratches on her cheek, and the occasional nearly faded scar. Up close, Vermilion could just make it out, barely noticeable it was shocking she could see it, a neatly hidden burn scar on her scalp from a manner of beast the faunus couldn't fathom. Until now she had never noticed, the way her silver eyes were bright like Summer's and reflected back perfectly. The way her hair flowed night black to blood red. How unafraid she was smiling, how in control she was where Vermilion felt herself spiralling out of it. For the first time she really saw Mrs. Rose. The Red Queen was not just a mother, nor just a sweet woman: she was beautiful, she was a huntress, _she was a killer_.

     "I," Vermilion's voice clawed its way back down her throat, "Thank you," Once it finally came out her words were choked and airy. "I need to go." Vermilion abandoned eloquence and bounded out of the room. Summer called out to her, but the faunus didn't slow down. Her pace flat lined between a march and a sprint. She only petered out once she reached the dorm exit. There, her breath was waiting for her.

     Between gulps of air, Vermillon heard soft steps. She expected Summer, maybe even Mrs. Rose to make her warning a little more clear. _I know you're the blood of the enemy._ "You going somewhere, Lance?" Dawn she didn't expect. Seemed the dead were walking again and Vermilion's bunk mate managed to traipse up to her pretty nonchalant after being glued to her bed minutes ago. Not that Vermilion ever understood anything about Dawn.

     "I am," Vermilion confirmed, feeling now more than ever her business needed to be sorted. She would need to talk to Summer after, before her mother told her everything. " _Why_?"

     "Just asking," Dawn crept up, grazing her fingers along the stone wall as she did. Aside from her pajamas, you'd never guess she had been 'sleeping' moments ago. "Like to keep tabs."

     "On me?" _Just me._

     "Mhm, wouldn't want a teammate to get lost. I don't believe you've left the academy once so far. Must be something special. Want company?" Vermilion absolutely did not. This was something she needed to do on her own. "The city can be pretty beastly."

     "Dawn, you don't like me," Vermilion stated her understanding. Wanting to make her perceptions of things clear. Dawn's eyes widened, shocked, or pretending to be anyways.

     "I'm being nice. I was offering to be your tour guide," Dawn noted.

     "Exactly why this is weird." Dawn wasn't the cruelest student, in her own way Vermilion respected her. She was diligent, strong-willed, beautiful, and most importantly unbent. The school seemed to hate her, students from the upper grade vilified her. Vermilion had seen faunus and human students whisper about her and call her half-breed. She was strong, but she was never friendly. Not to Vermilion. "What do you want?"

     "To know where you going," Dawn remarked with all the flare of an expense report.

     "Why?" Vermilion stepped back towards the exit.

     "Like you don't know." Dawn stepped forward, right passed any false pretense. "Pretend as you might, I know who you are. I can guess who you work for, and I can guess why you're here on my team."

     "To become a better huntress, we're all the same here." Dawn rolled her eyes, her smirk bending into a small crease of anger.

     "To get close to the Schnees," Dawn answered for her, "Of all the teams, after so much planning, you still end up here. That's suspicious. So clear my suspicions, where are you going?" And yet, Vermilion specifically wanted the opposite. No one got their dream pick. Anyone else, and Vermilion could have stayed hidden, out of eye. At first, being partnered with Summer made her so anxious she wanted to vomit. Not that Dawn would believe her.

     "I've done nothin—"

     Dawn's nose flared hot, and eyes flashed from yellow to harsh red. A deeper crimson than Vermillion's own. "Do I look like I care, Taur—"

     "Hey guys!" Both of them snapped attention to a girl in a white vest and red hood, black skirt finish really making her pop, not that the pink and white hair needed help. "Things alright, you both look tense?" Shu, their dorm neighbor with the voice both shrill and sweet.

     "Yeah, we're fine," they replied, though only Dawn continued, "And you, all dressed up?"

     "Heading into town on some errands with my sister. Wanna ride with me?" Shu offered a hand, all gloved in rich black. Dawn took a step back. She sucked in a chest full of air and suddenly the half-faunus was smirking again with eyes like a cat's.

     "Thanks," Vermilion replied, arms crossed under her chest. She was taking this out and walking away. SVLR was just starting to feel like a home, too. "I've got my horse. See you in town, Shu." Vermilion spun on her heel and walked out the door. Before it shut behind her, warm and full of pep, she could hear Dawn shouting after her.

     "Later, Vermilion!"

* * *

     "You'll be given ten minutes. Do not touch the inmate, do not pass the blue line, do not attempt to hand the inmate anything, including, and not limited, to those letters. Most importantly, do not interfere with the guards." Vermilion didn't listen, barely registered the rep speaking to her at all. Her senses dug into the hall, the linoleum white floors, cement walls, sparse barred windows. Nothing had color or personality. The whole micro-prison smelt like bleach.

     "Door opening!"

     Vermilion tightened, her back tabletop straight, her chin ninety degrees from her neckline, knees locked, muscles prepared and ready for combat. The holding cell door, a bulwark of half a foot thick steel, opened. The man inside was slouched forward, shoulders forced down by some unseen weight. He wasn't wearing black like he did in all her memories, instead he was restrained to a brown shirt and pants with no distinguishing markers. The bull faunus' red hair had grayed more than the years should have. His arms and feet both were locked together by titanium cuffs, the hands entirely covered in a metal trap chained to the desk in front of him. She noticed his horns had been shaved down to the skull. It made her wonder whether the human guards or the other prisoners did that to him, until she realized she didn't care.

     "Vermilion!" He tried to stand for her, chains all rattling to stop him. One of the guards, a tall man with a lion tattoo on his arm, shoved the prisoner back into his metal stool. Vermilion noted for the first time the entire apparatus was bolted to the floor. A prison meant for Aura users left little room for comfort.

     She said nothing back. Vermilion took five measured steps to the guest stool, firmly grasping twenty opened letters. Each handwritten, each marked from an address five blocks from the third support CCT tower, a convenience he likely lamented losing.

     "I'm so glad you've come to visit me, your mother wrote me that you'd left the village." Vermilion kept her sunglasses on, not that it was bright. She prefered he never see her eyes again. "I see you got my letters."

     "Don't misunderstand. The only reason they're open is the guards checked for weapons. I never read them. I don't intend to." Catching her words before she launched into a monologue was...difficult. Vermilion kept biting her lip whenever she wanted to say more. _The more you talk, the more ammo you give him._ "Adam, you will stop sending me letters. Goodbye."

     "Wait!" Adam shouted as soon as she got up from her seat. She did not sit back down. "Vermilion, please, I watched you during the trials. You've grown so—"

     "How?" Vermilion snapped.

     "I sent in a request, after what your mother wrote me. Beacon's headmaster let me watch the parent's stream. He's a very sof—"

     "So that's how they know," the younger faunus grumbled, reliving the frightened feeling that crawled down her back that morning. The goal of being a transfer not blighted by a family stain was ruined by this idiot's disregard for her. " I'm surprised they didn't kick me out of the school, all because you couldn't stay out of my life!"

     "Mr. Arc's under the impression that the sins of the father don't pass onto the son," Adam tried to defend, quoting an old saying in a way that hinted at mockery. Adam never gave up the dream that she would pick up the mantel and further his perversion of the White Fang's mission.

     "He's a good man," Vermilion mumbled, noticing he had gotten his wish. She stopped leaving, they were talking casually about school, acting like this was normal, "A little strange for my taste though." _Don't let him trap you like this. He's faking. Don't fall for this!_

     "Doesn't stop them from mocking you. Making a Schnee your commander, you deserve better than that." Just as expected. Adam could not hide his ugliness.

     "Sins of the mother." Or grandfather. The Schnee family had done irreversible harm to faunus. Just two generations ago they were practically slavers. Some even considered Weiss Schnee's Roseland a different kind of enslavement. She'll feed you, she'll clothe you, she'll give you land to farm, but you are hers. At least that's what the Taurus villagers warned of. "Summer's a very kind person and so far a competent leader. I could have done worse for a partner."

     "She'll try and turn you into a lap dog, just like Weiss Schnee did to Chief _Inquisitor_ Belladonna." Blake Belladonna, Dawn's mother and chief of police. Another woman of mixed reputation among the wild faunus.

     In the end, the conversation was pointless. Vermilion sighed out the thin dusty hope she didn't even know she had anymore. She ripped apart the letters, right in front of his sunken eyes. "Goodbye." She wasn't going to wait like a frightened child to see what happened next. He had ten life sentences. Adam was powerless.

     "You'll regret walking away from your father!" the bull cried from his seat. He struggled against the chains, but they just creaked as he sputtered and frothed. The tattooed guard grabbed Adam by his skull and smashed him against the table like a misbehaving dog forced to smell its own mistake.

     "The only thing I regret is Vale doesn't have the death penalty," Vermilion said, for no other word better explained the forlorn monotone reply. The guards all laughed, the best soap opera live right there.

     As the rep from before started unlocking the massive steel door, Adam began whispering something. The tattooed guard, thirsty for drama and a good comeback, leaned in close. Far too close. Vermilion tried to shout for him to back up, not that there was time to stop it. Adam swiped the metal chain restraints around the tattooed guard's neck, both falling part way to the ground. With all his weight on the chain, Adam was killing the man, struggling as the binds began crushing his throat.

     Vermilion broke the rule. She darted past the blue line of paint dividing the room in half. She snatched the steel-link noose and unwrapped it, dropping the guard to the ground. He wheezed for air while Adam struggled to get up ontop of him, if only to bite the poor bastard to death. Vermilion still had the chain however. Adam could absorb energy, but not her kind of charge. She didn't hold back. Sparks flew down the metal of the chain, into the table, and down through Adam into one prickish circuit. He was absolutely helpless.

     By the time they pulled Vermilion off the chain, her father had electrical burns all around his wrists and ankles. The staff agreed, since she saved one of them, that she was never there. A guard's taser did it and Vermilion would keep out of police custody. Also, as a favor, they would toss out the letters. Probably burn them in front of Adam as their own revenge for his outburst.

     Half a Sunday had been wasted on him, but she hoped it would be the last. As soon as she could step outside, Vermilion swallowed a chest full of salt air, feeling freer than she had in years, and soaked in the later afternoon sun. Her horse was waiting for her, some local children were all crowding around the mare. Vermilion didn't mind. She took the reins and let the kids pet Yari. Gave her some time to think.

     The White Fang was still healing from all the venom Adam pumped into it, but with him behind bars, it would find its way back, she was sure of it. Like a cancer, cut it out and the body could live again. So could she. Vermilion was sure the letters would stop, Adam had to get the message every time he looked at his wrist. The day was bright. The clouds separated over the nearest CCT tower stabbing into the sky, a hopeful trail into the heavens.

     Vermilions ears popped. Everyone recoiled to the ground as the tower windows shattered. The flaming residue burned the floors five through seven into the warped shape of claws and a familiar wolf, ever so ugly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELL THAT TOOK FOREVER. I have no idea why, but this took so long to make. Like I rewrote so much and jumped around and omg hardest chapter yet. Part of the reason it took so long. This should be out sometime friday/saturday, if not sorry!
> 
> Anyways thanks so much for reading, please submit a review, let me know what you think! I could use positive reinforcement or constructive criticism. Thanks so much for reading, and thanks so much to Lazykatze for editing this, she is the greatest!


	7. Last Generation's Mistakes

**Azura Rose**

"She rides a horse?"

Aunt Winter twitched on the screen, remaining brow rising, confused. Azura always thought her features were so ridiculously highlighted thanks to the motionless eyepatch, a fabric cover with the Schnee logo on it, dotted by a camera at its center.

"Yeah, she lets me ride it sometimes. I'm thinking I might try and beg my parents for one on my birthday," Azura whispered. The kid liked to lean forward towards the holographic screen and away from the citizens all around their allotted little cubicles.

"Your mothers both love you very much," Winter started, which was a bad sign for Operation Pony-Power, "yet I think you'll be hard-pressed to get them to agree to something so... _antiquated_. Remember how strongly your mother reacted to Summer asking for a motorcycle?"

"Yeah, but horses are cuter."

Winter gave away a smile for two-thirds a second. Of all the relatives Azura had, Atlas' General Schnee seemed least poised to understand them, yet all the same video chats were the norm. The two shared similar taste in humor, and Azura sure looked up to her 'kiss my ass' temperament. Not even fifty and Winter was already the premier of her country's academy and military. She trampled critics of Schnee hegemony, chewed on oppositional parties, and burned down whatever cultural expectations impeded her and her view of righteousness. She was cool manifested in a snow white uniform

"Regardless, I don't have time to waste on work animals or teammates. I didn't ask about them, I asked about _you_." Aunt Winter snapped her finger and pointed across the screen right at Azura. "How are you adjusting from Signal to Beacon? I haven't heard from you in over a month."

"Sorry, I just don't feel comfortable in a CCT sub-tower. It's so stuffy and suffocating. The whole place makes me itch." Azura tugged on the gold trim of their hood, hoping to be completely hidden. The Rose child prefered looking at their tattoos, a vibrant rose vine up the arm ending in a gold crown, rather than looking Winter in the eye.

"I don't want you comfortable. I want to break your comfort. Azura, you'll never get over your anxiety in a hole. The more you face it the less it'll affect you."

Winter didn't sound happy, but she trudged the same field without fail every time. Not that Azura was ungrateful or didn't believe Winter understood. Just her being right didn't make the chain that tugged on their chest any less demanding.

"It's not like it's going to go away by dragging me out in public," Azura replied.

"It's not about curing it," Winter waved off some man from the left corner of the screen, her gaze at Azura never breaking, "It's about numbing yourself. When you get use to the cold, you didn't magically make the world warmer, you—"

"I know." Azura put forehead to table, closed their eyes, and begged internally for some ear plugs. The senses were getting too much, here and at Beacon. Dawn, Summer, and Vermilion, too. Azura respected and liked the girls, but growing up in a large estate with empty ruins all around, silent spots where the natural world's hum was all that could be heard, left her at odds with the confined space. Everywhere had chattering voices now, constant stimulation. "I miss the mansion, is all. Plenty of little nooks to vanish in."

"No quiet places in Beacon?" Winter's tone shifted, quieter, gentler. Comforting enough for Azura to sit up straight and flash auntie with their Schnee blue eyes and smile.

"Plenty, I bet. I'll just have to find them."

"Keep that mindset. Those whom expect victory will oft find it." Winter returned the smile and even leaned back in her chair.

"O' wise teachings of Winter Schnee, volume 4," Azura joked.

"Of course, if you had studied all the ancestral wisdom the Schnee lineage has passed down to you half as hard as you study the ranging patterns of nevermores, you mi—" Winter's lips twisted into a grimace. The muscles in her shoulders tightened as the same man from before walked up to her, the grey white uniform he wore near identical to hers but lacking the subtle marks of someone with Winter's authority or flare. "I'm taking an important call. If this isn't absolutely dire you'd be wise to step out of my office."

The man shuddered, but did not balk. Azura watched him whisper something in Winter's ear, though the hunter in training only did so with the lightest of attentions. After all, the sudden silence in the crowd seemed way more interesting than Atlas business. Most of the people waiting for a call were bunched up against the glass overlooking the street. A parade? Seemed too quiet for one.

Azura's gaze flashed back to the holographic display when Winter became paler than usual. Her eye widened and lips parted, making a face like a woman ready to murmur a heinous whisper. Then something clicked.

"Azura Rose get the hell out of that tower and call Weiss!"

Azura blinked and lurched back from her auntie on the screen. Winter tried to say more, but it cut off as power seeped out of the building. All at once displays shut down and lights dimmed as emergency power kicked on. There was a sound below, a popping noise, distant and familiar. The sparking of fire dust, the ripe smell, and gunfire.

"The White Fang?" Azure heard someone shout before a whine burned their ears. The kid's knees buckled as a hard force rippled through the floor, up the side of the wall, through people and glass.

Before Azura gained back a sense of sound, they already pieced together what was going on the moment the quake hit. Someone, or ones, cut the power, started a gunfight, and set off bombs. The shock hit her from all sides, Azura guessed the explosives were prepositioned. That meant crumbling. That meant a fall.

"Oh no, please no."

The third floor started to sink into the lobby below, the support beams likely crumbled or bent. Azura could see part of a cubicle nearby completely cave in. At this point the shy person that was Azura surrendered to the hunter in training. Fortuitous Druid as the conduit, Azura focused a glyph in the center of the room, a pale, snowy, spinning, sigil extended by the draining of dust. Azura's hair tips changed from blue to white, the matching color rose on their arm alight as well.

The butt of Fortuitous Druid smoked and shot out two now empty capsules of frost dust as the glyph finally reached the far edges of the room. In a flash before everything crumbled over, Azura spread a thick film of ice, lacking the supports and ground. It sealed the cracks, tightening the floor, but not permanently. Ice melts, even as the room dropped in temperature and fresh snow floated through the dim ceiling. Eventually it would loosen the structure even worse than before. Their little snow globe was cracking.

"Everyone!" Azura yelled, ears finally normalizing from the shock, "We need to get out of the building as fast as we can!" People looked at the young would-be hutner, and all but a few seemed to listen. Most had their mouths agape in shock or were screaming.

"What did you do?!" a man in a suit cried from the back.

"I'm hurt! Please hunteress, help!" a student lightly cut up by glass screeched. Azura recognized the Signal freshmen uniform on her.

"We," Azura felt the growing urge to vomit bubbling up the throat, "Need to go down...the stairs...please."

The jolt of adrenalin had been wasted on saving the third floor and the shadow of insecurity was overwhelming. _Everyone's waiting on you,_ thoughts shouted despite not being even close to true. ost simply fumbled around, nearly slipping on the ice or, if they could manage, helping move the injured. _Just say it loud, say it clear. We all need to leave!_

A hand gripped Azura's shoulder, dragging them from the consuming shadows. A guard had snuck up on her, the light olive armor distinctive of Vale's citizen soldiers. He was tall, with a certain dignity that shone through the bit of blood and ash smudging his face. He was older, likely a veteran from the fall of Beacon years ago, scar on his face suggesting so. He was injured, yet almost unaware of it.

"You're a huntsman in training, aren't you? Beacon or Signal?" He smiled, kept the standard issue rifle loose in his hand and even kept his breath steady, despite the obvious pain he was in, leaning on one leg wrapped in a shirt.

"Hunter in training at Beacon, sir," Azura replied. Despite how hushed it was said, he nodded back, patting the kid on the shoulder.

"Hunter. Sorry, ma'am."

_Ugh, I'll fix that later._

"You did great work with the ice. How unstable is this, if you don't mind me asking?"

"On a scale of Beacon Tower to human-faunus relations, very, sir," Azura ended with a pained chuckle. The guard let go, shifting the weight off his good leg. He grimaced before defaulting back to a smile, trying hard to make normal what thankfully could never be. At least one would hope cracked floors and blown out glass walls wouldn't be normal. "Thank you...uh?

"Azura Rose."

"Gron Sjuttiosex," the soldier clarified. He hoisted his rifle back up, propping it on his right shoulder. He sucked in a deep breath, earning a cough due to all the smoke. Not the brightest. "Alright!" he shouted, "Everyone please move with me down the stairs and through the emergency exits. This tower is not safe. Please help those who cannot move themselves, and please keep your head down. Stay calm, stay safe, but we cannot stay still. Everyone to the stairs, please!" He pointed down to the back flight, a little used corridor. After all, the towers all came with several elevators. "You too, kid," Gron added lower so only Azura could hear.

The hunter nodded, picking up Fortuitous Druid, and left him. Beyond that moment, Azura had no idea what became of Gron. Hopefully nothing but the best.

Azura lept down the stairs, trying to get ahead of the first evacuee. The lobby below was connected to the back exits, and almost absolutely the source of the gunshots before the bomb. A hunter defends the helpless, even if they can't manage a handful of words. By just distracting the intruders the rest could make it out.

Landing on their feet, Azura rolled into the fall right against the door. It remained on its hinges but just barely. Small holes shot out beams of light to spy through. Reconnaissance was key to a hunt.

"The tower's not collapsing." Azura could see the speaker, a taller man dressed in a grey and black vest with armor plate down the limbs that matched the chrome colored hair. He had two bionic legs and subtle black cat ears perking off the sides of his head. Azura didn't recognize him, but did recognize the white and red mask he wore as the pattern of the White Fang. "How did you screw up the bombs?"

"The explosives worked just as planned, something's up. There's some sort of ice sheet holding it together. " The second voice was distorted into a deep robotic monotone. Their body looked feminine through the sleeveless blue hoodie and twisted milk white mask with its own streams of red. Bunny ears popped out of their hood and pushed aside silver bangs. The feminine White Fang enforcer wielded a ivory scythe with a blood red gem; it looked almost like mom's. Azura felt a queasy churn in their stomach when comparing them and decided exactly who Fortuitous Druid would be aimed at first.

The man with robotic legs ran a hand through his hair, shaking off the concrete dirt and linoleum dust that floated through every room after the explosion. "Grab Rock and see if you can manage to blow it up properly this time, would ya? We've got, what, minutes to make our escape?"

 _No, you're out of time._ Azura detached the staff bayonet. Opening the door just a touch gave her all the room needed to take aim. Butt pressed into the shoulder, dominate eye glaring down the wood knob sights, they counted, _Three, two, one_.

Azura fingered the hidden hair trigger, felt the thud through the gun, and watched the scythe wielder eat a shell to the chest.

One down, and Azura wasn't dumb enough to think the other man in armor would just take it. The bayonet spear point reattached, and with a force glyph beneath the young hunter charged through the door.

"Who the hell?" the male enforcer shouted. He twisted his body into a defensive stance, hips forward and arms shielding his face. Azura could tell by the lift in his right knee that there was a kick coming.

Azura sped up the glyphs under their feet and lifted Fortitius Druid's spear point. Clash incoming, three steps in, for the first time Azura could see the breadth of the room. No other visual targets beyond the smoke, ash and machines were thrown to the corners blemished by small trails of blood. Victims. There was fighting outside, but time was up, the man with grey hair was popping his leg out. Now was the moment.

Azura stopped on a black glyph, out of the range of the kick and just in range to stab through his boot, the metal point clear out the other side. Aura didn't stop it from leaving both of them equally as confused. W _ait, it's cybernetic dummy!_

"Oh, ho, ho, ho. I recognize those little shapes," the man chuckled from beyond the mask. Azura noted his boot had more than one black barrel shoved through it. "Snowflake, wanna see something cool?"

"No?"

The enforcer flexed his foot and fired off the white blast of force dust. Azura, dislodged, flipped and landed on a glyph to steady their feet, but again the grey faunus was on the attack. Three more snap kick bullets came Azura's way, only a touch more prepared than before. Fortitius Druid blocked each as they twirled in combat, mom's defensive technique. Didn't get easier, his attacks weren't even phased by their elegance. He just stepped back and kept up the pressure, flipping on his hands then once again for more kicks with some distance. He built a pattern and Azura exploited it.

Third kick he stopped his right leg and swapped. So practiced he never bothered to watch his feet, especially as Azura's hair glowed a very distracting orange to match the glyph repulsing his foot back into the air.

"Gotcha!" Losing his footing, the White Fang operative was in tailspin. Azura twirled the blade point right for his unprotected free falling head. When the bayonet snagged, his neck twisted audibly, cracking almost too far before it cut through one of his ears.

With shocking grace, he landed on his hands and backflipped into position. "You think you're hot shit, huh?" He rolled his neck in a circle to get out the kinks, grey spikes of hair even more messy than before and tinged with sweat. That was good. "God, I'm getting so old. By the way: to your left, kid."

"Huh?" Azura glanced, only for a second, finding nothing but shattered glass, dust, a dangerously crumbling ceiling plaster, and some unfortunate red stains. The enforcer remained unmoved, defensive stance and shielded by his mask. Only one of his ears were still perked up and proper. "Wha—"

A pop came from the right and hit Azura like a bull on rocket skates. In full tumble their hair turned black, summoning glyphs designed just to stop the motion before another sniper round shattered what little Aura was left. Azura barely stabilized in time to dodge the second shot, a vibrant white shell that melted right through one of the few stable support beams left. _Great._  
The feminine operative apparently survived _and_ had enough time to drag out a sniper rifle from somewhere, another blinding white weapon. This murderer was disgustingly tacky even for Azura. "Sure we can't do one on one again?"

"Can we just leave her, Mercury?" The synthesized voice was as presumptuous as it was grating.

"Roll, are you even? We killed like twenty people! No! Of course we're going to kill her!" Mercury, Azura guessed, had his robotic legs loaded with another volley as the other took aim. Both sides were ready for simultaneous fire and nothing was left standing for cover. When outmanned and outgunned, it called for terrain advantages.

A white glyph spun below Azura, and right as the two White Fang members opened fire an ice wall rose up, taking Azura with it. An dodge that gave the hunter higher ground. The sniper versus sniper and crazy leg man duel was now in Azura's favor.

Fortuitous druid fired slowly unfortunately, though while it forced the one called Roll to retreat behind cover, the Mercury guy unloaded at the young hunter. Azura had to take a step back from the edge not to be riddled.

"Shit," Azura took out their scroll, sliding down to Dawn's number. She was the best fighter, though probably a million miles away. They needed someone to rocket here now, preferably with one more year of training. The line cleared and Azura didn't even wait. "Dawn, I'm at the tower and people blew it up, and I need to buy time and there is this crazy dude and I cut off his ear—which isn't bleeding by the way— and now he's trying to kill me! Send help!"

"This is Dawn. If you're getting this message, my scroll's currently charging on my bike and I'm probably driving. Can't pick up the phone, but as soon as I stop I'll be sure to. Later."

Dead end.

"I shoulda called mom." A half gallon of ice splintered right behind Azura, covering her in snow-like shards, a dangerously close shot.

"What's the matter, Snowflake? What happened to your fight?" The wall of ice was cracking under the pressure, on top of freezing Azura's butt. The scenario was untenable, the hunter reasoned. A tactical retreat just as poor an idea as sitting still. The wall was see-through and the sniper was still on the field hidden behind a column Azura didn't dare blow out. Yet the sniper didn't know that.

Azura took aim, hair glowing snowy again, and a small additive glyph formed at the end of the barrel. The sniper ducked at the sight and in a moment another volley from Mercury would come. It didn't need to be a perfect shot, a rapid tap on the trigger would do, as the fourth and final frost dust vial fired out shot after shot of icy shells. The sniper dived out in the open to avoid a tumbling column that was just reinforced.

Azura rolled along the ice edge, avoiding a white blast to the side of the head and took aim once again. The sniper sitting down the sight of Fortuitous Druid had taken a knee, already firing, just not at them. "Wha?"

The growl of a hungry engine matched the burst fire from a desperate marksman. Azura barely caught the front wheel of a motorcycle catch fire, still streaming passed shattered glass and smoke right at the sniper. The operative took the bulk of a bike to the stomach and into the back wall into a mess of fire and mangled metal. _Well that was helpful._

"Did you just—" Mercury was interrupted by a flame spraying Dawn, smoke bellowing of the orange embers flickering from her hair and legs. Dawn popped up a high kick and Mercury returned it, each matched blow for blow, sending bullets and fire bolts into the walls.

Dawn was quick, insanely so, but Mercury was faster, between each block a close call. Azura jumped off the slippery cracked mess of an iceberg onto a rubble pile and summoned glyphs again. Yellow light ran through their highlights and down the tattooed sleeve. Crested dull gold clocks spun backwards around Mercury, turning his world to half time. Dawn remained unaffected, except for a curved smile as her eyes and flame turned a bloodlit crimson. One kick and Mercury's slowed leg was bent out of the way, and full bodied she went in for the punch, rocket fire spewing from the gauntlet as she struck his face head on. The mask shattered into wooden fragments.

"Hella," Dawn muttered as Mercury tumbled.

He latched onto the ground as Dawn took aim with her SMG gauntlet Gawain. Just in time he slammed his foot down, an explosion building an impromptu rubble shield between the two of them. Dawn's bullets riddled it, taking chunks of concrete and rebar with every round.

"Dawn, how did you get here?!" The belt ran out of bullets and flew off with a metallic snap. She didn't even bother reloading, happy to fire off from the other gauntlet, Agravain, another belt to sheer away his defense.

"Thought I'd make a phone call. Didn't know the line was bus—" A sniper shell cut off her corny one liner, making Dawn take a knee. A heavy gut blow from a rifle did wonders even with most of her Aura remaining.

Azura lept to her, sliding in and generating a black glyph field around them. Ice worked better, but the stocks were gone. Black repelled, but was a nightmare to hold up, each round burning up more of Fortuitous Druid's capsules.

"You know," Dawn groaned, standing up from the dirt, a heavy layer of white concrete dust all over her, "When you ram someone with a motorcycle you expect them to stay down." Neither of the White Fang operatives were out, though one was hunched over and holding the remains of a mask to his face and the other singed and covered head to toe in dirt.

"Tell Rock and Iron we're done here," Azura heard from Mercury's side.

With just a nod from the other, he went into a flurry of kicks, making a cyclone of white force bolts circle round their little haven, like sharks about to feed.

"Not good," Dawn mumbled before the strikes came down on the spinning glyphs, the black Schnee logo trying its best under the onslaught. Eventually the defense crumbled, a handful of shots cleared through and mostly kicked up debris and smoke. Azura dropped to the floor, hacking as they tried to breath. The pressure and glyph use devouring their Aura and leveled the hunter to the concrete

"Azura," Dawn turned the kid over, those golden cat eyes looked down from a smokey room, "Get up, they left. We've got to get you out of here."

"What about everyone upstairs?" Azura groaned, feeling a dull pain down the side as they lay on the eviscerated tile. "Everyone needs help. Ugh, I think I sprained _everything_."

"I blew up my motorcycle, don't whine." Dawn pulled Azura up onto their wobbly feet. The ceiling was groaning again, dripping from the ice seal. This would probably be the first CCT tower to ever literally melt out of existence. "Seriously, I need to get you out of here."

"Wait," Azura whined. The foyer really was empty, dead lights hanged from above, the floor damn near shattered, but the White Fang were gone. Roll and Mercury. Code names, not faunus names. Faunus... that still bothered the hunter, kept hitting the original snag. "I need to check something."

* * *

**Vermillion Lance**

Vermilion's mother once told her that the separation between heroes and the rest is in their reaction to danger, violence, and malevolence. It is natural to try and escape, avoid, deny. A hero could not resist it; the pull of duty was like moths to a flame. She took it as encouragement, and lived her life running towards the distraught, wanting to be a hero. Took it to heart when the CCT support tower burned with the emblem of the White Fang. It was up to her to stop them, and she did so. Several of their ground troops in outdated uniforms crumbled as she rode through the bullet riddled plaza and toward the enemy.

Now, considering the metal gauntlet holding her skull in its oversized hand, disarmed and desperately trying to electrocute this horned giant, two times the size of a normal man and covered in rags, Vermillion considered that maybe it had been more of a warning. Moths are flammable in the end, while this man proved to be non-conductive.

"Huntress, huntress, have mercy. I can't take anymore," the giant man growled from behind a white grimm mask. She had beat through two operatives to get to him, this colossus that at the time was caving in a police car with a hammer. The same warhammer that now folded down into a four cylinder chaingun, the barrels coming out of the flat end.

The chaingun began to spin and Vermillion nearly accepted life as a future blood stain. Nearly. She kicked and bit into his metal hand, ignoring the pain as his fist tried to crush her skull. She focused all her Aura into protecting her body, vowing to survive this vermin. This was not the end for Vermillion, not by some false White Fang miscreant, not after they clashed for five minutes, not after she survived his intense onslaught, trading blows and bullets. Not like this.

And not like that it was. The barrels spun up, but before the trigger was pulled a ribbon locked to a sickle wrapped around it. It jerked to the side, putting baseball sized holes through an empty car. The giant roared in surprise as a woman from out of view landed on his chaingun. A huntress in a white coat with black waves of hair, a faunus with tall cat ears and golden eyes.

Vermillion didn't recognize the famous Blake Belladonna until she had a gun in the man's face. "You're under arrest." The giant dropped Vermillion as soon as Vale's chief of police started unloading her magazine in his face, full auto.

Free, Vermillion rolled out of the way, diving for her discarded weapon while the titans dueled. The chaingun reformed into a heavy warhammer of heft steel that the giant could shatter bones with, but the huntress danced around him, dancing was the only word to describe it. She let it come close, splitting into two right before the strike landed and shattered the fake. Her sickle strikes always hit, with every opening whipping away at the giant.

"Die, bitch!" The warhammer dropped down on what was suppose to be Mrs. Belladonna's head, smashing a distorted image instead, achieving nothing but sending fragments of gravel into the air. The huntress stood atop his hammer. She leaped into a front kick, cracking the White Fang mask almost in half, but the beast didn't balk. He dropped the weapon entirely and snatched her leg with his free hand, so tight her protective Aura visibly pushed against it.

He had forgotten about Vermillion, or determined her irrelevant, either way Arondite spread into its buzzsaw form, a perfect projectile to smash in his head. Sparks lighted off of his helmet. It cut his hood to fragments, revealing some of the mechanical visage within. _A full bodied suit underneath?_

The giant dropped Blake and snatched up his warhammer as he fell back a few feet. Mrs. Belladonna had cartwheeled to a proper stance no problem, already prepared for another attack and starting her assault. Vermillion swapped the electric charge on her current, Arondite spinning back toward her and retracting to a sword. Things were getting bad. Already his White Fang brothers were packing back into their iron monster of a truck to survive the hailstorm of bullets from both the cops on the ground and the growing number of military airships coming out of the Carrier Autumn Storm _,_ head peaking out from the dark clouds building in the west.

The giant growled, the sound distorted by what had to be speaker interference. His hammer folded back into a chaingun, barrels spinning mid-transformation. Mrs. Belladonna dove for a strike against his hands, but wheels snapped down from the heels of his feet, steel grappling ropes fired out from behind and latched onto the same armored truck, jerking him as the truck started to move. All the while the White Fang mech started putting as many bullets downrange as possible to keep the huntresses down..

Vermillion ducked behind cover, but the legendary faunus had no such aversion to danger. She chucked her sickle around the steel grappling ropes and let herself get dragged along with them. Her high heels were destroyed, sending sparks up as the truck started towards the river.

The giant focused on her alone. She twirled around the volley of fire, sliding herself left and right to avoid the firepower.

"Get off!" the man in the machine shouted as she defied him. They were only a few hundred feet from the river, riding for a direct course into the water and out to sea, despite the combined fire from the airships. Did nothing more than dent its thick metal cover and ruin the red wolf emblem. Mrs. Belladonna was gaining, and in desperation the man grabbed the line with his hands, holding on to keep himself steady, and detached the connection Blake's sickle was caught on.

Mrs. Belladonna flipped as her ribbon was let free, sliding through a plaza garden as the vehicle and the colossus both crashed through the railing and sank into the water. Vermillion couldn't see much from where she was, sore and focused on the search for any of the suspects she had defeated earlier. The cops raided the ruined tower, taking it back from the terrorist forces who had all retreated, or killed themselves depending on the trucks submersibility.

Watching them spray water on the flaming wolf blow onto the building, Vermillion could think, and think alone, for the first time since it started. None of this made sense. When she had left them the White Fang was not only in a state unwilling to carry out an attack like this, but definitively unable. The armored truck, the bombs, the mechanized soldiers... they didn't have anything even close to that still in service. At home they had hard strung ironwood bows and enriched steel swords. Menial dust use and only simple transforming blades like Arondite. In her lifetime, this shouldn't have been possible. A portal to last generation's mistakes had opened up and brought havoc with them. Vermillion felt a headache come on.

As Blake stood over the river's edge, calling out orders to the police, Vermillion collapsed and let exhaustion slug her. A combination of firefighters, first responders, Vale soldiers, and survivors swarmed around her as the support tower slumped into rubble. Vermillion found a spot among the wreckage of a car and soon enough Azura and Dawn appeared from mass of ash covered survivors. They both managed to get involved, apparently saving the vast amount of people in the tower. Azura just happened to be in a call at the time and Dawn was likely still tracking the faunus. She always seemed to be in her shadow.

An hour passed as different offers briefed them and doctors cleared them of serious injury. The sky called on rainclouds to help put out the fires once the tower collapsed. The showers emptied much of the building crowd thankfully, though they were not permitted to leave.

Summer wouldn't have been allowed to enter either, but that didn't stop her from pushing passed the police barricade like she owned the nation. As she approached, Vermillion felt a mix of real relaxation hit her, or horror as soon as she realized Summer was scowling.

"What the hell were you doing?" Summer started, marching right up to all three of them. Her face was flush red, hands balled up in fists, prepared to smack someone. They could have really used that anger in the fight. The rain dragged her hair out from a bun. The silver strains looked too heavy soaked to her face, but never lost their color.

"Fighting crime, boss lady," Dawn snapped with a smile. Earned her a thump on the head from Summer. She was not content in the least.

"What you should do is call your teammates, the police, the school, literally anyone! You guys could have been hurt while I was in the dorm room doing homework!" Summer paused only to take a deep and angry hot breath.

"I know. I saw the fire and needed to do something. It was irresponsible and rash." Vermillion dropped in a bow, emphasizing her apology. Despite the truth that the faunus would have done it again, well, maybe at least called Summer first. "I'm very sorry." Vermillion felt the drops on her head as everyone shifted, trying to figure out how to reply.

"You should be," Summer grumbled. She tapped her foot and crossed her arms to note her displeasure, but eventually with a roll of the eyes and a tilt of her neck, Summer's shoulders dropped. "Whatever. I'm just glad everyone's okay."

"Thanks, leader," Vermillion said, smiling despite the awful day. This is what a team was: warmth on a rainy day.

"Vermillion," a woman's voice called from behind. A familiar one, the chief of police's exhausted monotone, "can I speak to you in private?" Vermillion got a front row view of her fighting, but this was the first time she saw her just stand. Tall, powerful, but elegant. The white trench coat was still left open despite the rain. She should be tired, but Vermilion couldn't sense it anywhere other than her voice. She was beautiful, especially given she was the mother of a teenager. "I want to clear up a few things." In a sick sort of way, Vermillion understood why Adam was obsessed with her.

"Of course, officer," Vermillion mumbled. Mrs. Belladonna had eyes that peeled away paint and masks, she could sense it. That yellow gaze made Vermillion feel small, a pale shadow up against a torch.

"Wait, auntie," Azura cut in, hopping off the top of some wreckage. The youngest still seemed wiped from before, unusually quiet, even for them. Ponderous even. "I snagged it off of one of them. Here." Underhanded, Azura tossed a piece of fur to Ms. Belladonna, a small ear almost, completely clean. Blake's eyes flashed, perhaps reflecting the red-blue police lights.

"Thanks," she muttered, putting the piece in her jacket. "I called Beacon; Yang is here to pick you all up and bring you all back home. Get some sleep tonight, put everything out of your mind. I will call to ask details tomorrow, but please, students, I need you all to get rest. This isn't your fight."

"Absolutely, auntie," Summer nodded. "We'll head out as soon as you're done with Vermillion, I promise."

Blake blinked and shook her head. "It'll be a while. Don't wait." Blake turned around, one hand stuffed in the pocket with the ear, the other signalling for Vermillion to follow. The faunus huntress in training sighed. She felt like a hangman's noose was already draped over her.

"I'll see you all at the dorms," Vermillion offered, more hoping than stating. Dawn walked away, Azura waved, and Summer remained. She wore an uncomfortably fake smile and shrugged.

"See you then."

Vermillion caught up to Blake, snatching her sword on the way. Blake opened an umbrella, holding it between them without much of a word. Vermillion noted they were walking to the chief's car, something Mrs. Belladonna didn't seem to find odd. "You seem to get along with your teammates."

"I like them," Vermillion said, trying to remain honest and trust the chief, "I don't think your daughter likes me, but she's talented and honorable."

"She's just worried you're going to hurt her cousins," Blake replied as if it was as obvious as the rain or rubble of the tower. "My wife, professor Long, she lost her arm and more than you could imagine to your father. Dawn grew up being held by a stub. The threat is very real to her, you understand."

"I know," Vermillion swallowed her heart as it tried to pull itself out and escape this nightmare, "I'm not my father."

"I know," Blake acquiesced softly. She opened the back door to her car, motioning for Vermillion to get in. "I don't know who you are. I know terrorist group attacked Vale today dressed as the White Fang, and I know you were here. Please take a seat."

"I've done nothing wrong," Vermillion mumbled, knowing how little that would do. Blake again blinked, those molten cat eyes without the slightest shift in expression.

"I know, but by law I can hold you for questioning without charge for one full day, which I intend to do." Chief Belladonna drolled out, bored or just tired. Vermillion stared at the sky, the clouds were darkening, rain heavier. In the distance, toward the sea, lightning brought some color to the sky, too far away to hear. "For what it's worth, things will be okay."

Blake didn't look at Vermillion, she just stared at the tower and waited. Her hand gripped Vermilion's shoulder, but didn't push, just rubbed with her thumb the way a mother comforts a scared child. Vermilion felt so small she feared she'd need a booster seat.

"Yes, ma'am."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well as always summer's Vale chapters are longer than I intended hahaha. I really kind of wish I could animate this like the show, but alas! Sorry for the long wait, got a tooth pulled and all sorts of crazy stuff and lots of antibotics, been a hectic october! Hope this chapter isn't too bogged down by the action, but I think it came out real well. Had fun writing Azura though the pronoun stuff can be tricky, never wrote like that before. Also new RWBY's well, I'm withholding my judgement, it's got a hell of a lot of potential though!
> 
> So some updates, I'm about finished with third and final Their World short, its a cocobun thing so I hope you enjoy but this will be released sometime in November because november is nanowrimo, also known as hell month. For you all it'll seem like I took a vacation, for me, itll be anything but. After I get back december should see new chapters of Summer's Vale, the Sci-fi AU finally, and then lastly a new modern AU I've been dreaming up, so that'll be fun!
> 
> Lastly thank you to Lazykatze who should be renamed sleepy cat, she works so much dude. Good job cat I love youu! She edits as always and is amazing, give her lots of love!


	8. It Could Be

**Vermillion Lance**

     "Forgive me, I've been running my legs into the ground—two trips to the Council, one to parliament, and the military command wants an in person assessment before the sun's down." Mrs. Belladonna had slid passed the many cubicles that made up Vale's police headquarters and into the glass box of an interrogation room Vermillion called home for the last twenty-some odd hours. Like a good host, the police chief came into her space with gifts: a tray of two pots and twin green mugs inscribed with the axe insignia of Vale. "Would you rather coffee or tea?"

     "Tea, thank you," Vermillion mumbled as she shifted her seat from the floor to the metal chair, sensing another interrogation coming. After the heavyset Officer Bleu and lanky rude one who never gave a name, this, shockingly, was the first from Blake herself. "Coffee's too bitter."

     "When I first got to Vale I hated it," Mrs. Belladonna began, setting the chrome plastic platter on the table. She took her own matching steel chair, pouring out a fine green tea into the Vermillion's mug first. The drink steamed, as fresh as one could hope, but Blake grabbed the second steel kettle for herself, pouring out a pitch colored drink that nearly gagged Vermillion. Extremely concentrated. "However, my best friend—she's taught me never to underestimate its pure kick. I think that's the only reason humans can stomach this dirt flavor." Mrs. Belladonna flashed her amber eyes up for the first time today, perked a bit by the smell alone. Taking a sip didn't wipe the bags from her eyes. "I fear before the end, I'll be happy to have your cup."

     "I'm sure you're tired." Vermillion took her own mug, warm to the touch and sweeter on the nose, and sipped away. The flavor was stronger than it need be, but the warmth running down her throat and dripping into her core was godly.

     "Very." Mrs. Belladonna leaned back in her chair, gripping the mug close to her as she crossed two legs and watched. She reminded Vermillion more of a hawk than a cat despite her ears. "I can't imagine sleeping here is any easier. Apologies for the low amenities. I wanted to bring out a cot for you. I honestly just got distracted."

     "It's fine, Mrs. Belladonna." Vermillion slept in worse places. Under rain weary tents to escape a storm, under the dim light of a candle at the mouth of a cave. Worst of all was sleeping on a horse as it trotted down the road; a skill every rider had to learn, but not one learned quickly. A half inch thick cotton blanket and uncovered pillow was comfort enough against the linoleum of the station floor, though the noise of footsteps and hushed officers was constant throughout the night. Honestly, it wasn't sound or hard floors that kept her up for most of her stay, but apprehensive worry that balled into a painful spot in her lower left side. Vale's police made Vermillion deeply uncomfortable.

     "Have you eaten?" Blake paused on her drink, tired eyes glaring at Vermillion over the rim, "I'm almost afraid to ask."

Vermilion cracked the most minor of smiles. "Officer Bleu brought me a pizza a few hours ago. I'm fine. Thank you."

     "I'm glad. We're holding you for questioning, but you are allowed to ask for things. Like I said, we're not your enemy." _You might not be, but the power dynamic remains unchanged._

     "I can't say I don't look forward to returning to my dorm."

     Blake nodded, swiping through the holographic screen of her scroll making finger checks on the unscrambled side. The police used scrolls with back's that projected noisy scattered images to make the screen completely incomprehensible to anyone not looking from the right angle.

     "You'll be back soon enough, I promise. I just wanted to ask you a few more questions."

     A few more questions lost its meaning around nine last night, but Vermillion remained cooperative all the same. She took to brushing through her hair again, thirsty for a shower to give the red mane some life again. She still had a film of grimm on from yesterday's fight that needed more than the five second rinse police showers could offer.

     "You told Bleu that before arriving at the tower and engaging the terrorists, you were at Central Prison for the Aura Gifted, is this correct?" Mrs. Belladonna snapped Vermillion's attention back to the chief, stopping her right in the middle of fixing a loose strand of hair behind her horn.

     "Yes, I was returning unopened letters my father sent me." Vermillion knew at this point lying was only eroding credibility. If Mrs. Belladonna was asking a rudimentary question, it was to build to something, something more potent if she even dared to lie. "I don't have a relationship with him and I wanted to make it clear that wasn't changing. Once I finished I saw the tower explode and rode on from there."

     "Smart," Mrs. Belladonna commented, punctuating an unintended utterance with a self punishing click of her tongue. "Did you sign in at the CPAG?"

     "Yes."

     "Was this your first visit?"

     "Yes"

     "Could any of the admin's, desk staff, or guards identify you?" A quick image of the guard choking on the floor, chain wrapped around his throat wiped Vermillion's mind. Difficult thing for him to forget she would assume.

     "Yes."

     Mrs. Belladonna swiped the screen again, yellow eyes scanning what one could only guess was Vale's brand new file on Vermilion Lance, or gods forbid, Taurus. Considering the legally questionable method of entry into the country, would that be the first of all Valen government documents to bare her face? _They can't deport me without Beacon's approval, the schools are independent,_ Vermillion repeated in a cycle to herself every time the older woman's eyes flashed to a new page.

     "Chief, your daughter's here to talk to you." An officer Vermillion didn't recognize peeped his head in the open door. Beyond him through the crack, there were traces of someone with hair like black iron and gold plated streaks. _Dawn._

     "A moment please," Mrs. Belladonna waved him off, the door left ajar and the officer outside awkwardly shuffling from side to side. Beyond the crack Vermillion could see him gestating to someone, probably dawn. "That's problematic," Mrs. Belladonna tugged on Vermillion's chin with two monotone words, bringing the chief back into focus. "I had someone check, there is no record of you and not a single person our department asked recognizes your student ID photo." _Fuck._ To keep everyone out of trouble it was best to purge her from the system; she was never there, no guard was hurt, no inmate electrocuted. They're covering for her. "Mrs. Lance, you don't have to lie to me. What were you really doing around the tower? Give me someone who can place you anywhere else."

     "There were some children, playing with my horse," Vermillion adjusted the collar of her wrinkled jacket, she could tell it was one hell of a stretch. "The guards are just trying to keep me out of trouble—"

     "What trouble are they trying to keep you out of?" Blake interrupted. A weight laid dormant and rusty at the bottom of Vermillion's belly and spread, building nervous ache. She was so stupid coming to Vale. What a foolish child.

     "I can place her," Dawn's voice peeped from behind the horizon, swinging open the door with the officer behind him sweating down to his pits. "I was following her. Vermillion has an alibi. She was visiting a prison. I can't say why, but when the bomb went off, she was as shocked as me. She's clear mom."

     Vermillion stared at Dawn, mixing a confused wide-eyed surprise with comforted softening of the jaw. In twenty-four hours she'd gone from bully to hero. Dawn glanced at her, but those yellow cat eyes said nothing.

     "Good," Mrs. Belladonna broke the tension and slumped her shoulder, a faint relaxed grin on her sleep deprived lips, "I'll send your scroll an affidavit, sign it so I can put this to bed. Since you're here, is my time up already?" _It's over?_

     "Yep," Dawn popped her P and rested two hands on her hips, lazily leaning on the wall for support. "I'm a courtesy call. Summer's furious outside." _Summer?_ It shouldn't surprise her, a good team leader wouldn't ignore a day long being in a box with nothing for hours had a way of making Vermillion forget she had a team.

     "She's very much like her mother," Mrs. Belladonna joked, standing from her seat and putting away her scroll, she took three steps towards Dawn. "I'd tell you to stop spying on your teammates, but it's turned out very helpful. Thank you." Dawn turned away as soon as her mother reached out and held her cheek. Mrs. Belladonna grinned one sleepy, proud smile. "Any more surprises? The mastermind of the attack hanging out in the dorm one over, maybe? Please?"

     The delivery made the joke and even Vermillion let out a nervous chuckle and Dawn dare to smile. "Nope, sorry mom."

     "Mrs. Lance, you're welcome to leave. Do you need an escort home?" the chief dismissed and kicked the door open into the office.

     "Summer brought a spare helmet," Dawn countered. She remained behind her mother as Vermillion happily stood, legs feeling creakier than ever. She had little of her own, Arondite, a leather wallet from home, and her quarter-of-a-century old scroll. All awaited her at the front desk. "I'll catch you at the dorms Vermillion. Oh and don't worry, already brought your horse back to the stables."

     Vermilion left it at that, offering nothing but a smile and thank you before she left the pair. As the door shut, she caught a glimpse of warmth, the sight of a mother embracing her daughter.

     In the lobby the officer on dispatch already had her belongings ready. Throughout the office everyone had a hollow dead look, bags under their eyes and something oppressive hoisted on their shoulders. Didn't stop Summer from being merciless. Vermillion caught her stomping impatiently back and forth in the lobby, a helmet in one hand, Excalibur in the other.

     "Summer," Vermillion mumbled, giving a small bow of acknowledgement as soon as Summer noticed.

     "Finally!" Summer sprinted over and before Vermilion could say hi, her arm was already tossed over the young faunus' shoulder and pulling the pair into a one handed hug. Vermilion seized up from the awkward affection; her tribe was not exactly the most touchy of people, such affections reserved fro the closest of friends and family. Summer had no such compunction, and weirdly enough Vermillion was happier for it.

     "I'm surprised. You came all the way out here for me?"

     "Of course," Summer chuckled, pulling apart and holding out the free helmet to her partner, Azura's, painted blue and dented from prior battles. Bucephalus was a war horse in its own way. "When I found out you were being held chargeless, Dawn practically had to talk me and Azura out of planning a jailbreak!" Summer continued, "Come on, let's go, I want to be available for Azura if they wanna talk about yesterday."

     "Summer," Vermillion muttered, refusing to take the helmet.

     "What?"

     "I have horns."

     Summer's eyes opened into wide silver plates shocked but not moving an inch. Petrified on top of mortified. Vermilion couldn't help but giggle. "That, uh, that you do." Summer, despite the paralyzed face, spun on her heel, towards the door, "Guess we'll start your newfound freedom by breaking the law in front of the station then." With a flip of a fur-lined hood, the metal plates of her own helmet folded over Summer's head providing her a convenient mask before she looked back at Vermillion. "Where's Dawn?"

     "She's inside with her mother," the faunus replied, following her out the door. The motorcycle Bucephalus waiting patiently for them right outside, the lights and engine roared as soon as it… _sensed them?_ Vermilion didn't understand the tech.

     "Good god, not her too! I swear I will strangle auntie Blake if I have to come back in there one more time," Summer groaned, hopping onto the bike and snapping the free helmet to its magnetic holster, on the other side Summer's sword slide into place, fitting right into the frame made special for her. "Get on." Summer punctuated with a slap to the half a seat left, half a foot of space at best.

     "Will I fit?" Vermillion asked, stepping forward and sliding Arondite onto her back for comfort.

     "Never been on a bike before? Yeah, just don't be shy. You'll want to hug me."

     "I suppose I would…" Vermillion mumbled, feeling a redness on her cheeks.

     "What?"

     "Nothing." She tossed one leg over the frame and settled in as best she could. Summer was right. She had to squeeze to fit, but fit she did, arms wrapped round her partner's frame. The metal plate between them, Vermillion expected it to be cold, but Summer's exposed bits and jacket left her warm to the touch. When the bike lurched forward, already moving faster than any horse she'd ever ridden, Vermilion clung tighter.

     "Thank you," Vermillion muttered as they entered Vale's highway, riding down the sunset orange path to Beacon. All the city's widows were turned into reddened mirrors, and from above it looked unchanged by yesterday's awful bombing. Six more support towers stood their post not to mention Beacon's green glow from afar. "I just want to go home."

     "We'll be there in just a minute." That wasn't what she meant by home, but as Summer took one hand off the throttle to put it on Vermillion's gripping arms, switching to AI control and scaring the hell out of her in the process, she thought maybe it could be.

* * *

**Blake Belladonna**

     "Hey," Blake placed two boxes of old paper records in her arm on the entryway table, the plop nothing compared to the echoes of news regurgitating her own reports from the living room. She recognized the voice of the VNN's newest anchor by his uncomfortable stutter as well as her wife's tan boots propped against the foyer's wall. Yang, if the smell of slow cooked salmon didn't give it away first. "You're home." Blake didn't mean to sound annoyed, but the pure exhaustion coupled with surprise sure dragged her uttered blurb to that spectrum of sound.

     "Yep, I got dinner," Yang's voice rang from the kitchen, bouncing off the living room walls, "so come sit your butt down."

     Blake didn't bother arguing, not that she had a reason to. Yang's voice pulled her forward by the chin even if her legs just wanted to give up and drop her to the floor. That honeyed sound cracked the supports keeping her awake and forced her forward all at once.

     "You're really back?" Blake asked once she passed through the red-tinted-brown foyer and into their relatively small living room adorned with a single three seat couch and matching reading chair. The place was downtown, modern, and secured with a rudimentary AI system and even an automated sentry standing in the corner. Two bedrooms upstairs and two-and-a-half baths, it was all they needed. No one in the family ever stayed home for long.

     "Figured you'd need a meal." The kitchen was open from the livingroom and Yang stood at the center reheating a few separate pans. Dressed in pajamas with a smock, it was rare to see her arm off, the cybernetic limb rested instead on a charging station hooked into the wall. She never did like tapping into its backup battery. "Have you eaten anything today?"

     "I'm not sure." Blake felt her knees buckle, tapping the beige couch seats. She tumbled into the cushions, feeling a hazy fog fall over her body. Her hand went to her scroll, popping up recent emails. Blast analysis was finished, planted explosives, military grade compact dust charges, placement suggested pre-planting. _Then why be there in person?_

     "As expected," Yang mumbled. Blake found it morbidly interesting how well she balanced things even with only a nub and one hand, tray of plates and bowls she held up with 1.5 arms, placing it right before them on the coffee table. The smell was grand. Salmon, veggies, a seasoned mash, and some sort of stew with a tall mixed juice. The servings were proper for three, and with Yang sliding Blake's legs off to make space for one more, she guessed it was just them. "Protein rich, carb strong, and a varied meal served hot free of charge. Don't you dare skimp on a single dish."

     "Thank you." Blake sat up to eat, but her body just shifted and slid onto Yang's shoulder. Warm, she didn't push back. She kept one hand on her scroll, cycling through work emails while the other sliced off a piece of the finest of fish. "I'm happy you don't hate me anymore."

     "Oh, I still want to deck you." Yang reached her for a spoon and took a bite of the mash. Her violet eyes flashed at Blake's fork, making sure it never stopped. "But some things are more important. Even if I won't stay I need to be here right now. If I don't make you eat, you'll starve."

     Blake chuckled weakly. No, her work habits never got better, maybe got worse. Whenever lives were spinning with the coin in the air, she was just as bad as always. Blind to anything but the threat, either tackling it or run—no, she didn't run anymore. No more running.

     "I'm sorry you're stuck babying someone you hate," Blake mumbled between bites. Her stomach was waking now, the painful grumbles, she could feel the shrinking and it stung like a knife tossing and turning with the salmon. Food was what she needed.

     "Contrary to common belief," Yang whispered into Blake's hair, confident her special ears heard it loud and clear, "I don't hate my wife." Blake's eyes shut themselves and the danger of passing out right there was real. "I just hate the stupid shit she does." Yang laughed and shook Blake awake, but she didn't mind.

     "I don't want you to." Blake kept an eye on the new anchor, he was sweating as he reported the White Fang's newest act of terror and the context: a bombing on the same year as the Vytal Festival, though tensions with Vacuo probably meant the actual games could be delayed as far as next spring. He was connecting obvious strings, but nervously. _One of the editors must not be sure about this call_. Same information, but the perspective shift can chan—

     "And I really don't want you watching this." Yang hit her scroll and swapped the channel from news to prime time. A romance/drama show she'd heard whispers about was on, featuring faunus and human lovers alongside controversial critiques on racism. Tropey, cliché, but trying, she guessed. "I want you brain dead and eating. Work's for later."

     "I'm running for council, I'm chief of police, and there was a terror attack yesterday. I'm going to keep working," Blake scanned emails again, mostly collections of office messages, even the most minute of details gathered. She was waiting on analysis from the Military Intelligence Committee cross checked with Atlas' report.

     "Then you best get better at pretending you aren't." Yang pulled the table closer, pointing to the rich stew. The smell was hefty with some sort of broth and Blake submitted, taking another bite. Sweeter than she expected and so followed another.

     "Or what, you'll leave?" Blake stupidly added. She rolled back between a bit of mash and another salmon piece with a "Make sure you get your fill too. Must be chaos at the school." A verbal retreat from an untenable call out.

     "It's a little hard. I'm missing the spoon attachment for my stub," Yang joked, a rather old jest, but one they enjoyed, "Not as much as you might think. Anxious yes, but with Pyrrha literally glued to the place, I wouldn't want to be the fool who tried. Beacon's not ready to fall twice in thirty years."

     "I saw Dawn this afternoon, she's got herself centered." An email came in from Weiss, the special low hum of Blake's scroll caught her attention. An attachment of all related info passing through Roseland or the SDC. A new perspective.

     "If we don't cause her troubles, I don't think there's a force on Remnant that can shake Daw—" Blake felt the scorching sensation of the Summer Maiden's eyes carving up her neck. "If someone new hasn't died and you touch your scroll one more time I will leave."

     "It's too important, Yang. People died."

     "I don't care. You are useless killing yourself like this. Gods, we've been through this. Do you really think you're going to figure it out when you can't even sit straight? One hour of a well rested and feed huntress will outperform a day of a starved, exhausted girl." Yang was loud, an instructor's voice reverberating in their house. If Blake wasn't so tired, she'd have shuffled over and collapsed against the flooring.

     "I can't do anything else," Blake whined, feeling the urge to cry, but never did.

     "I'll leave. Plenty of empty dorms at Beacon," Yang growled. Blake could feel the rage steaming from her nose as she breathed, every bit of their last fight was stinging her. This sweetness was not easy for her. Blake though, she wrapped her drained arms around the one she rested her head on and held tight.

     "Anything I can say to make you stay." Blake stared up at Yang, at the mercy of her wife. She'd collapse without her sturdy shoulder, without the food or warmth of another body. Belladonna felt pathetic like this, just thirty-six hours and she'd been reduced to a cracked shell, a little girl who needed someone else just to act like the hero she wanted to be. Blake was so tired, and only getting more so. A shoulder, a lap, even a beating chest, all better than a desk.

     "Saying, 'I'm sorry," Yang offered, even knowing it wouldn't give Dawn her year back, it wouldn't suture together the fault line running down the spine of their home, "and, I need you.'" Sometimes, Blake guessed, sometimes you just put pressure on the wound and hold it together.

     "I'm sorry and I do need you," Blake mumbled, just loud enough so not even the flies on the wall might hear. She couldn't believe it needed saying. Hadn't Yang noticed by now? She's just one bloody mess.

     "I can stay," Yang replied after a long pause, "But I will make you sleep tonight."

* * *

     Blake bounced her stress ball off the white brick wall of the hospital room. She made sure to match the low beeping throughout the building with the bouncing as it came back to her. A concentration technique from Zawisza himself.

     "What are you doing here?" There he was, Zawisza Czarny, possibly the oldest man in Vale who just obstinately wouldn't die. Former master of Schnee Security and mentor when Belladonna first joined that order. He wrinkled since then, not the distinguished gentlemen of the noble classes anymore. He was tired now, plugged into bed, cordoned off to die with a pot of lilies to his left, sunlight, and a windowed view of Schnee tower to break from the clouds. He had grown tired of their pleasantries half an hour prior and now of their mutual silence.

     "I have a meeting at Beacon tonight." And thanks to Yang eight hours sleep, a breakfast on top of dinner, and an incomplete case to bring to the The Guardians.

     "Then go be with your family, work on your case, or ask what you want to ask." Zawisza waved his only agile limb left at her, a worn Schnee prosthetic arm, one of the earliest models. It aged slower than he did.

     "I'm not allowed to share case files, especially not with a foreign national." Blake's critics in One Vale had long jabbed her for involving Atlas citizens in national matters, which was in large the most accurate complaint levied.

     "You're certainly not here for charming company; I'm far too passed the expiration date," he joked, his voice much more gravely than when Blake was in her early 20s, "I was born in Vale, if that makes it any less illegal to do what you're going to do eventually."

     Blake caught the ball on the return. She slid it back into her coat pocket, digging out her scroll. With her left foot she kicked the door shut, leaving them to some privacy. She skipped all the analysis, confidential material, and focused on the footage itself, cobbled from a shop security cam. Blake projected it against the ceiling, easiest for him to see. "Tell me anything that catches your eye." Blake started at the beginning. The citizens were abound as normal, some began to run once the white eight-wheeler took out a police car full speed. No sound plays as the offending vehicle crushed it and the people inside.

     "They're using an SPC-435. Despite the dreadful paint work, I recognize the build and horsepower," Zawisza grumbled as his dull eyes scanned the projection. The giant detached from the back and operatives too blurry to see poured out the side. "It's an old personnel carrier concepted and built by Mantle's military right at the close of the Great War. Never saw military service."

     "I didn't think Mantle used land vehicles." In war she had always read about Atlas' alpine terrain and their preference for aerial development. The vehicle couldn't fly, though once she fast-forwarded through the footage towards the end, it could definitely take a dive.

     "Not against Vale, but in Vacuo sandstorms ruined our airships. Peeled off the light plating and stuffed the engines. Standard carriers did poorly on the desert's tractionless floor and would fill with sand particles. The SPC was vacuum tight, immune to sand, or in this case, water leakage. It's powerful engine meant the eight wheels could carve up against the worst of the dunes, and apparently drag around a small mech," Zawisza droned on, tapping into a century's worth of military history. He was just a kid when that was made. _A tank as old as Zawisza._

     "You knew it was a mech?" Blake rewound the footage to highlight her own fight. Not that she was proud of it. Vermillion's safety kept bugging her. She thought the rest of SVLR might be inside.

     "The large thing with an iron face the size of three of you? I had my suspicion—" a cough interrupted his joke. The gods prefered them serious today, Blake guessed. _Don't make fun of an old man, Belladonna. You're better than that._ "Sarcasm aside, it's also a Mantle device. AES-3 nicknamed the Jäger. An exoskeleton prototype developed after the war. A man inside can be as frail as me and match the strength and tenacity of an experienced hunter. It was retired in favor of the first model of paladin like the newer model we see today once grimm hunting was the main logical concern. We built hundreds of them alongside the same factories making the original CCT prototypes." Damage resistant, took every bullet Blake had without a flinch, and absorbed Vermillion's lightening. Not agile though. Blake could dance around the thing, even scare it off. Ruby's rifle might put a hole in it, too… Perhaps the police needed to prepare heavy munitions.

     "Weren't willing to give peace a chance? Mantle sounded primed to conquer," Blake asked, starting again from the beginning. The question seemed asinine, but with Mantle war tech the only clues, a history detour might be the mental trick to follow.

     "We were shaken and terrified. We had superior tech and resources, but a young ice-capped kingdom to the north with quickly industrializing enemies everywhere? We couldn't match aura user to aura user with the other kingdoms, Vale's prime advantage was fielding double the aura gifted we could along with their great king's personal touch. If Mistral wanted our dust, we would have little to say against their superior hunter numbers." The Great War, the Faunus Right Revolution, war in general. A portal opened up from the past to a more civilized age and blew up their tower.

     "You were allied to Mistral? The war was over anyways." Blake was more curious than spiteful. She had no dog in the race, a Menagerie girl and a faunus whom neither treated well. Even her faintest of loyalties sure weren't to the Mantel-Mistral slave holding faction.

     "You don't understand the times. It seems today as if it was always like this, the kingdoms partnered like they are now, but your normal was our extraordinary. Unity wasn't the world I was born in, or Mr. Schnee. We lived with a rifle in our hands fearing the southerners as much as the grimm, not to mention the faunus rebellion. All four kingdoms were doing much the same, I'm sure," Zawisza spoke and it seemed almost like dust emptied from his lungs. Blake couldn't believe how young her world view was. All things are transient: peace, war, their lives. Nowadays unity felt like a truism, but he was right, it absolutely wasn't.

     "But here we are. The White Fang have military tech, all of it from Mantel and Atlas. I can't go to the Navy telling them the White Fang is armed with Atlas military technology. They're practically begging to put the blame on a Schnee. Winter can't be behind this. Hell, Atlas intelligence tried to tip us off, just a minute too late. Coco will call _that_ evidence, too." A new clue and it just so happened to threaten to destabilize Atlas relations. _It can't be Winter._

     "And Winter isn't for certain. Klein may have handled the children primarily, but Mr. Schnee always had me around. Winter wouldn't vote for this, she lacks the resolve. Most definitely wouldn't have allowed Azura to be in danger." Zawisza tapped his metal finger against the bedpost, a metronome of thought they were both following. "There's a bigger question. It's Mantle tech, but it's—"

     "It's all old. Functional, but old. If Atlas was funding terrorism it wouldn't be with fifty years out of date personnel carriers." Blake exhaled some stress, feeling reassured a foreign state wasn't bombing her city. Back to terrorists.

     "Exactly," Zawisza agreed, a smile pulling on his wrinkled face, "There are stashes of these war munitions all over the northern continent and some abandoned bases on the snowy tips of the others. Abandoned and easy to steal if you had the manpower."

     "Issue is, they would need to know the location of the caches." Which didn't rule out, but certainly complicated, the White Fang background.

     "Meaning not Winter, maybe none of the Atlas Council, but someone involved in the military, or a Mantle veteran if any are still alive, is helping the White Fang, if they _are_ the White Fang." _Interesting Zawisza._

     "You don't think they are?" It all starts with a fake ear. Mercury. The tech. Vermillion. Their failing strength. Remove one and she might have been sure of it, but all combined, that tie just felt forced.

     "Why the CCT? A support tower, no less? It represents nothing, but the most universally disliked element of their history and with what force? They've been kicked out of even Menagerie, barely control some tribes on Vytal," the last bastion of White Fang territory, Adam's clansmen on an isle famous for one treaty and nothing else, "Best they've managed to do in years is sneak a spy into Beacon. Not hard considering the blonde wonder's been left running the show. Rubbish." _Someone's been leaking things to him._

     "We don't know she's a spy." Blake's gut put the betting money on innocence, though something in her wanted the girl gone. Even the smallest chance Vermilion might hurt the kids….She just looked so much like him. Blake felt razors bounce around in her chest every time she saw Vermilion. Still, she's clean. Cleaner than Blake was.

     "But you know she's a retired White Fang officer and she's on the Heiress' Team." So the SDC spies say, specifically that she was a member of the grimm hunting division who acted as village defenders. Vermilion Taurus was honorably discharged after less than two years and planned to become a full time huntress. She left her nomadic village of Junshi only three months after getting released. Vale has no record of her arrival, she has no legal paperwork—including no arrests.

     "Mr. Schnee would have had me kill her, but his daughter hasn't so much as petitioned to have the child sent to another academy," Zawisza muttered with unusual venom on his lips. He was always a cold man, but never as bitter as this subject made him. He wasn't going to be any help with the case. "It's like seeing a mangrove grow from an oak seed."

     "Weiss doesn't know. Ruby's asked us to wait until we're sure of her intentions." Part of the meeting tonight was to hash that out. Blake planned to propose a harmless shuffle. Just switch her to another team. Precautionary and no one gets hurt. Ruby would, will, disagree. Jaune was a coin flip. Weiss though... Gods, when she finds out it was allowed to get to this point...

     "Hell, she might ask me to kill you instead." Zawisza smiled with his lips but not his eyes. The years told Blake that meant he was trying to be funny. He was almost...alien sometimes.

     "We're not hurting an innocent kid." Blake made it clear, just as she intended to if Weiss ever even… no, she was better than that. The guardians swore to be better than the generation before.

     "Well, the infamous team RWBY can't have only good ideas." He kept trying to be funny, but Blake felt flush and irritated. She couldn't work here anymore. "Are you leaving? Stewed with me enough?" he asked as she turned the projection off and rose from the uncomfortable guest chair.

     "Yeah, I realized why no one visits." Blake was shocked to hear a rattle from him approaching something close to a chuckle.

     "So long as you're useful Blake, people will always make sure to visit," Zawisza managed to bring back one last taste of his old sing songy charm right as she was at the door.

     "You're a product of another age, Zawisza," Blake called back, opening the door to the outside. She had an hour left to work before the evening meeting, perhaps at Beacon's records looking up Mantle's Jägers. "Goodnight."

     "Goodnight, Blake," Zawisza called back, finger tapping away, "Remember, the other shoe always drops. Be ready when it does."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all! I know this is coming late as heck, but I did write this in early December. Been a crazy winter break, spent most of it in New Hampshire on vacation visiting my editor and enjoying an occasional winter storm! Rare for me, a poor fool who's stuck living in Florida for now. .
> 
> So for my fanfiction schedule. I still have plans to work on this along with the two other AUs, though I might release a Magical Girl Rising short I really wanna write about La Pucelle, but so far it's coming out sort of cliche and uninteresting (Their City touches a lot of the same subjects with more grace and wit.)
> 
> Also to be frank, and I apologize if this hurts my audience's feelings, I've gotten...less inspired by RWBY of late. I'm not meaning to insult or offend anyone, just as Volume 4 comes out I'm finding my interest waning when it should be waxing. Maybe it's that I'm more in love with the idea of RWBY than the show itself or just volume 4 running in the same season as fantastic shows like Flip Flappers or MGRP, I just find myself again and again more interested in the community works then the original. Frankly put, I don't know how many new fics for this series I'll write. I've never not finished a project, (baring Snow White Knight) so don't expect my current ones to end prematurely, just understand if my bloodborne cross over never comes or short stories dwindle in this fandom. I hope you all understand. Thank you! And who knows, Volume 4 could turn around and win me over in one shocking twist, we will see!
> 
> Thanks again to Lazy Katze for her wonderful work editing and inviting me into her home for an awesome vacation. Leave reviews and comments of your thoughts, it's the biggest motivation to move forwards, and I hope you appreciated the rwby heavy chapter.


	9. Concerned Citizens

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Flash back which includes depiction of child abuse.

**Summer Schnee**

     I dream of a place where it snows red and orange, where a field lay before me with muddy earth churned up by charging horses and tugged chariots. I dream I’m not me, wearing not my armor, carrying two swords that are not mine. With not my eyes I see a figure dressed in plates of steel and bamboo, hair of rich crimson reaching in untamed frays from the top of its curled horns to sandaled feet. The figure’s mask made from a white wood has been shaped into the bone plates of a nevermore and obscures any distinguishing traits.

     The figure wields a sword-spear with a blade that looks like a lightning bolt frozen into steel. It’s pointed down, a straight diagonal line from the hill of wreckage towards my hearts that is not mine.

     “Friendships may begin in cursed places between cursed bloods. Histories and carnage often makes the mortar of high walls. Do you believe in high walls sweet huntress?” I hear her with my ears, the lady in my dreams, the one with tusks.

     “No,” I think and thought rings like sound in here, “It’s not our legacy.” The Schnee’s took the largest stretch of uninterrupted fortifications in the world, our wall, the Roseland wall, and we turned it into a train rail. Mother said that was our legacy.

     “Then run to her sweet huntress, run to her and grow comfortable in that bed of thorns they’ve made.”

     The memory-tasting dream plays, and I charge in not my body, swords raised.

 

* * *

 

     “Of course all of Roseland mourns for the victims, families, and nation struck by this unwarranted terrorist attack,”  her mother’s voice sounded faintly distant on VNN, detached in a way she practiced for camera, “My vice governor is currently leading an investigation hoping to find any signs of White Fang activity, but Roseland has always and will always be a prime example of an equitable society. Faunus will not be profiled or prioritized, and do to the trust formed by building such a just society we know our people's reaction will be unified. Roseland will never be host to terrorists.”

     VNN cut the recording of Weiss’ public broadcast to focus on their own host, mornings own Sapphire Vertas. A tragically unpopular faunus anchor known for her unwillingness to editorialize or sensationalize the news. Mrs. Long’s class was canceled, her aunt apparently answering an emergency hunter request out in the settlements giving Summer the rare opportunity to dive headlong into the reports on what was now known as the Autumn Plaza Massacre.

     “Roseland’s governor continued,” Sapphire started on her own, “stressing her commitment to the current relationship with Vale and partnership between all kingdoms. Meanwhile all three women running for council were touched on their thoughts about the attack. Admiral Coco Adel suggested the need for expanding military intelligence networks and allowing the Department of Naval Intelligence’s involvement in the investigation, Pyrite Valeswood commented that and I quote 'Faunus terrorism can not be tackled in a world where the government won't even acknowledge it for what it is,’ she continued on to stress the blame on what she called a ‘losing Police force’. Meanwhile Police chief Blake Belladonna had the shortest policy briefing stating only ‘While the others play politics, I have an investigation to lead.’ Her campaign office would later comment that she is temporarily off of the campaign trail to focus on the case.”

     “I should have been there too.”

     “You can't be blamed. I know you’re very strong, but I don't believe the strongest swordswoman in the continent, even a teleporter, could have stopped the tower from collapsing,” Vermillion noted, as she whittled away at her carving project..

     Summer stayed back in their dorm room to wait for Azura. She hoped largely in vain to find her sibling and be any kind of emotional support. Not that Azura would ever take it. The young huntress was… solitary even when they weren’t upset. Left Summer aware of just how abysmally inadequate she was was as a sister.

     Why Vermillion join her instead of being off with friends or going to class now that they were skirting by the edge of late, was a bit of a mystery.

     “That almost makes it worse,” Summer admitted, “I’d rather make mistakes than be useless.”

     Vermillion paused her carving and caught Summer’s eye. The faunus just stared at that weird dented oval of solid white wood, still quite a ways from being anything really. It wasn’t odd to find her carving, nor her bed outlined in home made, wooden trinkets of varying shapes and sizes. Lots of little animals, a few painted hanging disks to let light pass through. Summer had even caught her carving something into her bunk. It was in some faunus script, so reading it was beyond her.

     “We’re going to be late for class.” Vermillion started again, clearing a hefty chunk in one slice.

     Summer groans, but her feet hit the floor.

     They doesn’t make it in time for the first hit, but Summer gets a perfect view of the final bout of the Arc-Nikos twin duel. From the outer seats of Professor Nikos’ classroom and Beacon’s micro-amphitheater. The stages white marble floors were already cracked from violent impacts, likely from Rouge’ literal, semblance powered, steel fists.

     “Summer, who do you think is gonna win, me and Hera are too bias,” Antimony asked from the seat below Vermilion and herself. This strange girl with stranger eyes had managed to steal Odyssia’s partner slot right from under Summer’s nose. Not that she would replace a single member of her team now. “Hera says Rouge’s stronger and Odyssia can’t do damage, but I got faith in my home girl.”

     “He is stronger,” Vermillion entered, “but…”

     “He’s arrogant and Odyssia’s a through and through trickster. I’ve known them all my life, I’m with Odyssia, but it’s still a toss up to be honest.”

     “I win Hera~” Antimony sings to her team leader, the rabbit faunus that Summer discovered in a short time has one rather mean streak.

     “She’s her best friend, what the hell do you think she’s going to pick?”

     Summer grinned, guilty as charged. She was about to call Dawn over to back her up, but Dawn was missing. So was Azura for that matter. Not even in the lower, crowded seats.

     Biting her lip, Summer tried to rationalize it so she could smile again. Neither of them we’re known for perfect attendance, and if Azura was taking some alone time that meant their cousin was likely watching over them. Right?

     Her thoughts were broken up by one of the most painful thuds Summer had ever heard in this hall. Rouge kneed his sister with enough kinetic energy she was sent into the wall. The shimmering of blue and bronze energy around her body crackled and faded into nothing while her body slouched down, head tilted in defeat.

     “Odyssia’s good, but against a man who can turn his body into steel, idiot or not, you have no good options,” Hera summarized as Rouge took a step toward his sister. Everyone could see the metal scales of his knee turn back into flesh , allowing him to regain movement in his joints.

     “If it makes you feel better sister, without my semblance, this would probably be an even fight.” Rouge practically danced the way to her, his own aura dropping. That’s when Summer saw Odyssia’s arm twitch.

     A click and a bang. The metal thud of Odyssia’s shotgun firing dust infused training slugs into thick hunter's armor. Rouge deflated, letting a single cough out of his lungs as he just dropped to the floor. Training slugs will take the wind out of a man, especially one dumb enough to drop his defenses.

     “Well brother, I’m sure if we just stood here trading right hooks, that’d be very true,”  Odyssia’s turn for theatrics as her aura snapped back at near full strength. She slide an arrow into the back of her shotgun and the weapon morphed into a spear, one she pointed at his neck. _God the twins are ostentatious little shits_. Summer rolled her eyes and tried not to gag.

     “Bitch,” he coughed out on his third try, he had so much trouble catching his breath Summer though he might start spitting up the rounds. Odyssia just mouthed ‘I love you too’.

     ”Match called, Ms. Nikos wins,” Professor Nikos clapped her hands and decided the match before it devolved into bad wrestling, something that made up at least 40% of their three way childhood friendship Summer recalled. “Mr. Arc, remember in dueling to always check your scroll before dropping your aura. If you had you would have seen your opponent was still well into the green.” It was so strange to Summer to hear their mother call the twins mister and miss. Weird in general to be taught by the lady that use to bake Summer muffins when she’d come visit over school break.

     “An excellent fight, both of you, I want to more volunteers. Maybe someone from RUST and SVLR?”

     Shu jumped out of her seat, her hands quickly shuffling to even out her fraying mix of white and pink hair. She tossed a glance at Summer, and SVLR’s leader sighed. Vermillion must have noticed the reluctance judging from the grin as she began to stand.

     “I’m sorry Professor, but the headmaster needs to borrow Vermillion if you don’t mind.”

     Summer’s head shot back and right behind her dressed in her uniform, Dawn casually stood like she’d be there all morning, those long locks of black and gold might as well have been tickling Summer’s nose. Her ability to sneak around was… disconcerting.

     “Of course, another team then?” The professor called as the two other members of SVLR  glanced at each other.

     “Why?” Vermillion asked, her hands scrunching defensively on the hem of her skirt. This was unfair. First Mrs. Belladonna, now headmaster Arc. Summer wanted to scream, or at least hit something very breakable.

     “If you think my mom was done with you, you definitely don’t know the woman. Come on Vermillion.” Dawn shakes her head with a grin like she thinks this is funny. Maybe she does. Vermillion doesn’t, her shoulders drop, dignity sloughing off her

     Vermillion starts walking, but this time, so does Summer.

 

* * *

 

**Ruby Rose**

     “Not a word, no one has anything to say about Vermillion Taurus, or even about Adam. All my former White Fang contacts are just...tired.” The holographic projection of Ilia’s shoulders drooped with a weight old and long undesired. For years, she wanted to be done with it, they all did, but Ilia still had contacts, people in the large wild stretches of White Fang “controlled” territory. “But, as always I’m just as much a traitor in their eyes as Blake, I’m just a little lower profile.”

     “Thank you Ilia, I know that was difficult. Please give me a call sometime soon?” Blake asked. Ruby believe it was genuine, and hoped Ilia could see it in her pleading eyes. Blake missed having her old best friend in her life.

     “The last thing you need for your campaign is hanging out with a former terrorist. When you’ve won maybe we can meet up?” Ilia laughs and gives a small grin, the same way she does when she talked about her happier days in Atlas, or about her parents. It’s a mournful kind of joy. _She doesn’t believe Blake will find the time._

     “Thank you Ilia,” Jaune concludes as the hologram fades completely, leaving just Blake, Jaune, Ruby herself and the projection of her sister, still on assignment. Grimm attacks had increased since the bombing, Ruby planned to go on a hunt this weekend as well. “We’ve done our due diligence on this. I think we can leave Vermillion alone now.”

     Yang grunts as soon as he kicks his legs up victorious. _Oh no._

     “You’re not seriously going to hand wave our concerns just like that are you?” Yang, despite being in a very private spat with Blake remains as defensive of her concerns as ever. It’s cute, a good sign for this dumb argument was hopefully blowing over, but...not exactly the best for Ruby. She was backed into a corner with only Jaune’s support, and he’s definitely putting a foot in his mouth, with gusto for what that matter.

     “It’s not hand waving. I’ve hit up everyone I know with even the smallest connections. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get Emerald to say anything to me other than ‘get fucked’ turns out a lot more than a phone call,” Jaune sighs, taking his feet down, resting his chin in his palms and scratching the blonde scruff with an enough force one might think he’d bleed, “No one has seen anything. Not Atlas or Vale intelligence, not Ilia, not Emerald, not Nora or Ren. The only one who has anything to say about why Vermillion is here, is Vermillion.”

     “No one’s saying Vermillion is going to do something or planning something,” Yang interrupts, tired of being strawmanned.  “I don’t put on my helmet when I go for a ride expecting to be hit by a car.”

     “What we’re suggesting,” Blake takes the baton, “Is not that radical. By all account she’s a bright student that deserves to be here, but we should take some basic precautions. Let Vermillion switch with one of the other teams. Or at least let me bring it up to her, she’s not even here yet and you want this decided.”

     “I think, what we’re concerned with is singling out a teenage girl whose not done anything wrong,” Ruby knows what side she’s on, what side she’s been on since she let Vermillion know she knew exactly who she was. That was enough, Ruby had to believe that. “At this point she’s done nothing worse than you did Blake, and I couldn’t think of a life without you in it.”

     “Forgive me sis, but I don’t remember Ghira cutting your fucking arm off.” Yang eyes shimmer with a soft sort of regret as soon as she says that. Ruby knew she didn’t like shutting her sister down.

     “The only reason Jaune wants this resolved immediately is because everyone here knows exactly how this conversation will go as soon as Weiss finds out the two of you we’re keeping this from her.” Ruby’s stomach turns at Blake’s suggestion, but it’s not terribly inaccurate. She intended to tell Weiss, but how do you tell her ‘the daughter of one of our arch-nemesis just so happens to be a teammate with our children. Bonus points, she faked her identity and no one knows a single thing about her’. Ruby would tell her, the blame for waiting would be put squarely and Ruby’s feet alone. but...

     “Why don’t I just add her to this call Jaune,” Yang added, her holographic projection pantomiming the motions of pulling her up on the scroll.

     “Listen!” Jaune cut everything off with a thud as he dropped Ozpin’s old cane onto the desk, the symbol of Beacon’s headmaster. The one thing left of him in this world. “Qrow is dead, Ozpin is dead-dead, and if Oscar and Goodwitch want to scour the four corners of the Remnant instead of sit in this office then I can’t really make them. Unless one of you want’s the metal stick of authority, I’m stuck here and so long as I am Vermillion stays exactly where she is.”

     Making Jaune headmaster was….not ideal. No one liked it less than Jaune. Ruby had already begun the process of building her own academy in Mountain Glenn, one still under construction. Blake wanted to get onto the Vale Council before the One Vale party drifted the country into becoming just like Atlas. Weiss had to manage Roseland and the SDC. Ren and Nora prefered field work, Velvet was too close to Coco, and Pyrrha was… too sick. With Yang simply refusing to be a member of the Guardians, Headmaster was the job no member wanted. So it was the job he took.

     “So much for the guardians being any different from Ozpin’s secret club.” The Heart of the issue and source of all this tension. Though Yang never forgave Raven, she inherited her distaste for secrecy and the maidens being subservient to one man. The Guardians were meant...to be democratic.

     “Very different, because at any point any of you can take all my authority from me and I can piss off to some farm somewhere and grow turnips instead, but until that point within the limited handful full of square miles that make up Beacons grounds, I’m the final say.”

     Jaune doesn’t nothing with his speech but infuriate Blake.

     “I can’t run your school for you while also trying to make a difference on the council. We’re supposed to take in each others input, not pull rank and throw a tantrum,” Blake spit the words back in his face and Ruby could see a cold expression on Jaune’s. This fighting was just digging in heels and growing a fissure that expand a few millimeters everyday already.

     “Then this must be very frustrating for you Blake,” Jaune’s dismissal was so full of malice Ruby nearly slapped him upside the head despite being on the same side.  “However, between our vices, your paranoia and my idiocy, let me tell you stupids going to win everytime in this office.”

     And of course, being dismissed will never make Blake back down.

     “Oh yeah, real self aware, like that makes your choices any less short sighted!”

     Enough, Ruby had enough of this infighting. Gods it’s like these people all forgot what they had been through together. Fought and died and saved the world together. Now they were a room full of inflated egos too use to hearing yes ma’am and yes sir.

     “Can we please not act like this!” Ruby shouted, and when Ruby shouts everyone remembers exactly who lead them through all of it. “We’re all tired, we’re all stressed and knowing all of you, my wonderful friends, this attacks brought us back to the scariest moment of our lives. I know whether it's the urge to be overly proactive or just dig in, we can’t act like we’re each other's enemies. We can reach consensus, there is no need for shouting, posturing and chest beating. We’re all friends here.”

     A silence follows her. Jaune knows he was being hot headed, too embarrassed to speak. He’s well aware being the first wasn’t his place after playing the headmaster card. Blake’s arms are crossed and expression hard, but she’s not looking at anyone. She’s emotional, but she knows Ruby’s right, she knows RWBY will never turn their backs on each other, and in the end that includes her.

     “Ruby’s right.,” and Yang’s got the courage to vocalize it, “This mocho-chest beating is just not a pretty look for any of us.”

     Jaune takes a deep breath, retracting his cane. His expression liquefies into frown, at himself, his position, the nature of all this. Ruby’s not sure which, or if all of them apply. “I’m sorry Blake, I just want to do this righ-”

     “Excuse me, Headmaster I brought Vermillion.” _Dawn, she’s here._

     With Vermillion, the student in mention walked in and everyone, this gaggle of “adults” all looked at her with a mix of concerns unmeasurably unfair, but not undeserved. Ruby knew she had it easiest. Adam had hurt Yang, badly, but they had never really met. Everyone else saw her,  they saw Adams hair, his horns, his statue, his eyes. The poor thing was branded, but not alone.

     Summer came as well.

     “Thank you Dawn, you and Summer can go, we need to speak with Vermillion,” Jaune again waved away the concerns. Dawn drifted outside, but not Summer. Summer stood.

     “With do respect. I’m going to wait with my partner,” Summer’s eyes lock with Ruby’s. _What is she hoping to see? Me on her side? I am sweetheart. I always will be._

     “I understand your discomfort, but this is partially for the sake Vermillion’s privacy.”

     “Vermillion would you prefer I leave?” The faunus looks back at her partner, and back into the room. Defeat, its in her eyes, a lot of pain, Ruby is more sure than ever she’s right.

     “You would rather not hear this,” Vermillion replies.

     “That’s not what I asked, I’ll deal with whatever it is, would you rather I not be here?”

_She’s just like Weiss, so direct._

     “I,” Vermillion pauses, her crimson eyes bouncing from Summer to the floor and finally to Blake. Of course, Blake Belladonna does not balk, she meets those eyes, not mad, just firm. “Rather we just get this over with. My alibi was settled, is this about… lying on my admission slip. I… I don’t really have a legal name, I don’t come from a legally recognized country.”

     “Vermillion we have no interest in kicking you out. We’ve know for a long time Lance isn’t your real last name,” Jaune started with as gentle a voice as possible, His dismissive tone might actually help with how scared she is, “I don’t work for Valen immigration, the Academy isn’t even technically part of Vale, bright students like you will always have a place here so long as your deeds reflect good character a name is just what we call you.”

     “But we would all be lying if your name, and subsequent parentage isn’t part of why we asked you here,” Blake cut in. Yang was notably silent, unusually contemplative. In some ways, it had to be the hardest for her, to teach Adam’s kid. “Vermillion we heard from students you mentioned preferring a Faunus majority team? Would you like it if we could arrange that for you, perhaps you and shu from Rust could swap? Her and Rozen are the only humans on the team.”

     “I said that a long time ago…” Vermillion fists were balled at her sides, standing at attention. Her knuckles were turning pale.

     “Is it still the case?”

     “I-”

     “Wait!” Summer shouted, she had been shockingly patient before, ignoring comments about names. Losing her partner, though… _What if they had asked Weiss to drop me?_ “What's this about Vermillion swapping teams? What does this have to do with names? I know you’re talking in ways to keep me in the dark, what is this?”

     “Sweetheart,” Ruby tries this time, stepping over to both her and Vermillion, “Why don’t you step out with me and I explain everything.”

     “No, SVLR is my team, my responsibility. If you’re deciding it’s fate, I can’t be silent about it and ignore something fishy right in front of me. I’m sorry mom, but you, Auntie Blake, neither of you are even professors, what’s going on?!” Summer’s hand is shaking, her whole body is, but she’s keeping eye contact, she’s keeping focused. Ruby knew nothing in this world scared her worse than disappointing her parents, yet here… Jaune was right to make her the leader.

     “It’s because of my father,” Vermillion offered, her shoulders slumping. “I’m the daughter of Adam Taurus, and they don’t think you’re safe with me.”

     “What?” Summer’s mouth slacks open, ready to say something, something, but nothing, she just processes there silently.

     “I’m not a danger, and I’d like to rescind my comment about preferring a faunus team, I just… don’t have a lot of experience with humans. I’d rather stay...unless the rest of SVLR feels uncomfortable with my presence.” Vermillion doesn’t look back at Summer. Blake sighs and Yang’s eyes shut in frustration. They really didn’t want this to be forced… especially like this.

     “I can talk to Dawn and  the others Vermillion, if that would make you more comfortable?” Ruby offers, her hand reaching out to give the young faunus a gentle squeeze on the shoulder, let her know she's not hated. Summer brings it all to a stop however.

     “This is unacceptable!” Everyone glances at Summer, her jaw is clenched so tight as she tries to catch her breath and find the words you’d think it might snap at the hinges. Her wide silver eyes glare at all of us dancing between the adults. Even Ruby, even if she’s scared to. “I don’t care who her dad is she’s my partner. Unless she wants to leave, she’s not leaving my team.” Jaune shifts in his seat, but Summer never lets him get a word out, “I know you’re all worried about me, but with all due respect, if Beacon is the type of school to punish my teammates for crimes they never commited, I’ll be applying to Atlas Academy come the fall opening.”

     Damn.

     “That’s checkmate,” Yang breaks a moment of stunned silence and calls it shrugging with a smile, “I think my part in this mess done. I’ll see you both in class next week.” Nothing more and the projection of yang vanishes from the office.

     “Well,” Jaune opens up, turning to Blake, “Anything else?”

     “I tried. Who's telling Weiss?” Blake dusts off her jacket, trying to swipe off the stress more likely than actual dirt.

     “I will, I know how to handle her.” Ruby adds a wink earning an eye roll from a very red faced Summer. After that outburst she became a solid block of embarrassed, nerve wracked, and now a little mortified. “Don’t be like that Summer, no one should treat their spouse like their dead just because you have kids!”

     “Just stop,” Summer finally spoke holding her face in her hands like it could shield her from any and all mental images. Blake approaches to leave, stopping at Summer. “I’m sorry Auntie,” Summer mumbles. Blake shakes her head.

     “Never apologize for having a good heart, even if it makes poor decisions, don’t, not to anyone.” Blake ruffles the snowy top of Summer’s head before she passes and walks out the door, alerting Dawn on the other side. It doesn’t take much for her to piece it together.

     “You’re staying on Vermillion?” She asks. Vermillion, who has not moved, spoken, or Ruby dare say even breathe, nods to assure her. Dawn shrugs. “Understood. Welcome back.” She then gets close and whispers to Summer, Ruby barely making it out, she can only help Vermillion didn’t. “Well boss, If Azura gets hurt it’s on you now.” And just like that, Dawn is gone.

 _She’s angry,_ Ruby notes, _too angry…_ Perhaps it was time to spend a day with her niece. Blake and Yang’s fight might be-

     “Everyone's free to go,” Jaune politely notes, asking us to leave without asking. He has collapsed in his chair, head tilted back, ready for a nap. Fighting Blake will take it right out of you.

     “So uh,” Summer clears her throat, and shifts on and off the front and back of her feet. She’s red, “Are you ready to go back to class Vermillion?”

     Vermillion brings her eyes off the floor and to her Partner, finally free of the inquisition, for now at least within the halls of Beacon. She looked at Summer with a soft exhausted expression, a smile that struggled against the weakness of them muscles after all that stress just to show how happy she is. “Yes.”

     Ruby has seen that expression before, on all of them. She was sure, they’d be alright.

 _If not_ , Ruby supposed, _It’s not like Vermillion can survive me._

 

* * *

 

**Summer Schnee**

     It was last class, a early evening fieldtrip before they got to speak again. Professor Scarlatina’s class they spent in the Emerald Forest collecting samples. Ten toxic specimens and ten edible ones. Bonus points for nutritional value and how applicable they could be in weapons.

     A messy couple of hours in the dirt if you’re not willing to pay off Hera. A girl with semblance control over plantlife is useful to have and as straight laced as she was, a few lien can be convincing. Was that an abuse of her fiscal advantage? Absolutely, but Summer considered looking after her team was more important than a little assignment. _The scales would balance out in the end right?_

     There was Azura too, but Summer knew better than to get in the way of their fun when it came to the wilds. It was comfort enough to see them show up to class. Summer strolled up to the little trouble maker, ruffled that mess of black and blue hair and left it at a “You’re late.” Azura beamed at her, and it didn’t seem fake. Nature, getting their hands dirty, finding shrubs or grimm, that made them excited. Better excited than hurt.

     Dawn after all that headed out with Antimony and blew off Summer. She was mad, really mad, and it showed. This was how her cousin handled fury, she didn’t really yell beyond the first bout, get upset, or call you names. She just blew you off like you don’t matter. Like you’re dust in your wind, like she predicted you were going to hurt her all along and she was ready. Summer hated that.

     “I think I’m going to make everyone cookies.” Snickerdoodles, Summer knew Dawn liked those the best, she was always so pumped when her mom would make them for her and Auntie Yang and Blake. “Do you need them to be sugar free?”

     “No,” Vermillion laughed, they were leaning on each other for support while sitting on top a rocky perch halfway up the Beacon cliff-side. It gave them quite a view of the forest and the setting sun. “Only my grandparents are diabetic. Maybe my father, I wouldn’t know.” There was a pause as the wind blew a unseasonably cold gust passed them. “Wait, Don’t we still have cookies from your mother?”

     Another pause, another gust.

     “No,” the air grows stale as Vermillion waits for an explanation. “I’m a stress eater and there was a terrorist attack! I was going to buy more okay, don’t look at me like that.”

     Vermillion wasn’t looking at her. Just felt like it. Summer found you can look at people very intensely without looking at you at all and she could feel that gaze in the sound of Vermillions deep sigh.

     “I look forward to your treats then, I might not be diabetic but you definitely will be.”

     So, unsurprisingly, focus was on Vermillion right now, which was both easier and harder for Summer. Vermillion was agreeable, maybe too much. She never shot Summer down, humiliated her, she was kind, if aloof. The flip side was, she was closed. Being there for her was like trying to pass through a maze, one that always left you right at the entrance.

She wasn’t easy to talk to, just simple to talk at. _I have to show her….I have to show her nothing's changed. I trust her, she can trust me._

     “So, Vermillion Lance,” Summer leaned in, let her muscles go slack, her eyes shut. Let her body show just how at ease she was with her partner. It was easy during such a beautiful dusk, with someone warm on a windy day. “Is Lance your mother’s name, she where you get your world class charm and looks?” _Too casual, too thick, roll back._  

     “No,” Vermillion coughs, free hand scratching at her collar, “No, on both accounts,  I made it up, but it’s my name. It’s real to me, even if it’s silly, but-” Hearing that made Summer nostalgic, another time another place, another friend. Though she hoped they could be just as good a friend.

     “No I understand. Sometimes the name you give yourself is a far more meaningful reflection.”

     “I had thought Schnees put a lot of stock into family names, I’m surprised you’d say that.”

     The reflective mirror cracked and just a bit of ugliness came out. Not undeserved and almost more irritating in its inevitability.

     “Schnees,” Summer squeezed her fingers into air quotes, “are individuals of varied opinions. As for the name, I may not want to change mine, but a dear friend of mine did. It suits her better and contains a lot more of her own identity.” This conversation didn’t need to be about her though. Vermillion knew Summer, who she was didn’t haunt Vermillion as much as Summer knowing who Vermillion was. “May I ask, why Lance?”

     “It’s a weapon popularized by humans durin-” Summer cut her off with a soft jab with her elbow and a chuckle.

     “I know what a lance is dofus, I’m asking _why_ Lance?”  Summer turned her neck to give Vermillion a warm enough smile and encourage her more. Didn’t really matter to her how close that put their faces. Vermillion blushed, making a little o with her mouth. Despite the walls, she was easy to embarrass.

     “I like them,” Summer hummed in surprise, and Vermillion seemed to catch it, “Not using them, they're absolutely not my way of fighting, but in the idea. The lance has one avenue of attack. To move forward, charge into the opposition. A lance is separate from a spear in its single mindedness. I want to move forward, always forward.”

     “Away from your father?”

     “Yes,” Summer took her hand hand as it rested on the edge, gripping the cliff. Some part of Summer wanted to squeeze it and let Vermillion know it was safe, another wanted to make she she wouldn’t push off and drift, drift down into the valley of endless green, the wilds. “I met the first human I ever knew when I was eleven."

     “My village,” she continued, “is almost only my tribe, Bull faunus, some others, mostly older veterans from the war who followed my father home, but mostly faunus just like me. I knew you were the enemy before I knew what you even looked like.

     “The first human, I saw her come into my village on a horse dragging a wagon of goods. She was a huntress and merchant, or smuggler, the first of many. I’d never seen anything like her before. She had skin darker than any of the villagers, her hair was long and simmering green and she would smile at us. The other kids and I flocked to her amazed at her lack of...ears, horns, a tail. Anything.

     “She was a huntress she told me, studied at Haven and Beacon long ago, had scars and a unique pair of guns to prove it. She seemed to know the villagers, she was trading us dust and some guns to help against the grimm. She smuggled it past the Vale military with the help of the second and fattest human I had ever seen. The happiest too, the old man. He smiled so bright you’d think you might go blind.

     “He on the other hand didn’t just trade guns. He gave away little things, extra food, candy to all the kids. He was the first person to ever give me a doll.” At eleven Summer had stuffed toys bursting out of chests, she had any toy she wanted, many she didn’t. At eleven… “The doll was of a woman, a knight with a lance. A famous huntress, I thought her name was Pucelle, it was just an old Valen word for girl. It’s what he called me. I thought he was calling me a hero.

     “Adam saw that doll, me with it, him giving it to me and the children. When I was playing with it, trying to comb out he stringy orange clothe hair it had, it was so ugly Summer, you’d have laughed at me, while I was doing that, on the other side of our tent Adam drank.

     “He drank and stole that doll right from my hands. He had his old sword, the symbol of the chief and split it in two right before me, the hero huntress, Pucelle, was dead. I cried so hard his anger only got worse. He told me he’d kill the man, kill him for perverting his child with gifts. I was so scared. I latched onto his leg trying to stop him, and he just… he kept kicking me, trying to get me off.”

     Vermillion's hand, the one outside of Summer’s reach sparked with the faintest rush of yellow light. Bolts, almost invisible, jumped between fingers. Electrons. “I didn’t notice I had unlocked my semblance until after he stopped. I didn’t understand I was electrocuting him, but whatever it was it made him stop. I was eleven and I could make him stop. He groaned in pain, muscles locking up. I knew if I’d stop he’d keep kicking me, he’d kill that man.

     “I don’t know when I fell asleep from the strain, but when I woke up, the bruises screamed all over my body. I could barely walk, but I could hear something outside, at the dead of night. When I crawled outside my worst fears were realized. There was no hiding what my father did. He still had the bloody sword. When the huntress, the one who worked with the old man, had found him dead, she had gone into a rage. She fought brilliantly and humiliated Adam who seemed drunk, tired, barely seemed aware she was even there half the time, he howled seeing ghosts, striking wildy with his sword. Once the huntress knocked his sword away he came to his senses. None of the village was coming to save him. We all watched from our tents and houses. Even his most loyal, no one wanted him anymore.

     “He left the sword behind, he ran from his crime. Stole a horse on the way and my village just let him glad he was gone. That huntress, she saw me, I must have been black and blue from head to toe, I was just holding half my doll, even with the guts split open. She looked at me, she must have been so tired, so sad, so much heartbreak, but she smirked at me and told me ‘Don’t worry, I’m a huntress, I catch the bad guys.’ My father was running away, but she moved forward right at him. Right then and there, I wanted to be just like her, not like my father.”

     Vermillion turned, red eyes were a little pink, though she didn’t let tears fall. The wind blew out her hair, wicked lengths of red. She was deadly pretty, and Summer found nothing of a terrorist in her, she saw a little girl with a doll who was going to be a hero one day.

     “Why are you crying,” Vermillion started to chuckle seeing Summer, now she was crying. Ugly crying. Stupid crying.

     “Shut up okay! That story was really sad!” Summer had no recourse but to wipe all the snot, tears and running mascara on her uniform sleeve. God she must have looked disgusting and it would just not stop. It got so much worse when Vermillion started laughing, hard. “Why are you laughing, there is no way you’re going to tell me that story's bullshit, I will throw you off this cliff!”

     “No, I just, it’s shocking how big an event you’re making it. Always felt like, to me, a silly story.”

     “It’s not to me,” Summer whined, trying not to blow her nose all over herself, “I might sound dumb from me, but it’s all so foreign. I don’t understand any of it. I may be human, but I grew up surrounded my faunus who never made me feel different. I was born into opportunity, an heiress to a company and almost a country. My mothers never laid a hand on me, the worst thing that ever happened was Mother, uh Weiss, she might yell if I did something super bad, but god. I couldn’t picture either of them, gods no.”

     “Adam is a bad man, you parents…” Vermillion swished a words in her mouth around, before finally settling “They absolutely love you.”

     “They do. I grew up with so little pain. I almost feel like I somehow stole happiness from you.”

     “ _You_ didn’t.” Summer didn’t think Vermillion meant to put an asterisk on that, but she could feel it there.

     “I know,” Summer whispered, “but I’d still give some of it back if I could have.”

     This time Vermillion squeezed her hand.

     “I’m sure you had your own childhood traumas.”

     “I didn’t,” Summer admitted, “I was raised with so much love, so much advantage. The only thing painful about it, is knowing….”

     “What?”

_That in the end, I won’t be worthy of any of it._

 

* * *

 

**Ruby Rose**

     “What are you toiling on now?” Weiss didn’t look up from her scroll, didling away at her work, trying to keep things in order. They had grown accustomed to multitasking, doing things together while doing things seperate. Ruby as normal would lay on the couch with her, head resting in Weiss’ lap as she fiddled with weapons designs or messaging potential professors for Mountain Glenn Academy. Today, she drew mock ups of gun barrels.

     “Something small for Ren and Nora. Ren’s always struggled with getting enough penetration with his weapon, and Blake’s worried they’ll be more of those mechs in the hands of the White Fang, I’ve got an idea,” Ruby tilted her scroll up so Weiss could look, with a near psychic link, Weiss shifted just enough to see. “I’ve been studying drill bit designs and thought maybe if we used special projectiles rounds instead of dust, with enough rifling, spin and maybe a gutter on the rounds, the things could drill through the armor a little more directly. I’m hoping to get these small arms rounds might get through. I know steel cores a little archaic for you-”

     “It’s clever love,” Weiss goes back to her work, but her right free hand drifts down to play with Ruby’s mess of hair. It felt great to feel those digits dance against her scalp. “I worry though that if it’s so simple why has no one done it, I can’t help but think it’s a little more complicated than that.”

     “Yep, and I bet even more so once I start testing the design, but you know me, when I hit the next problem I’ll design right through that like said bullet.” Ruby wasn’t new to engineering, the first prototype was expected to fail.

     “I know you will, you’re an exceedingly brilliant idiot.” Weiss punctuated with a quick kiss to the forehead, a reminder she far from serious, “That brain of yours will find a way.”

     “And yourself?” Ruby asked. She had a plan for today, but a plan required Weiss to be free of the worst distractions, but some were too important for her to whisk Weiss away for a few hours, as frustrating as that was.

     “Intelligence reports about the White Fang in Roseland.” Weiss ground her teeth, trying her best to hide the fraying annoyance apparent all over her. Tight shoulders, frizz popping up all over her normally perfectly sleek hair.

     “Nothing?” Ruby wasn’t sure which was worse.

     “Nothing.”

     “Shouldn’t you be proud, Roseland’s terror free.”

     “I am, just scared,” Weiss swiped through even more emails, her finger holding on the holographic screen, Ruby wasn’t sure on what. “I’m worried we’re just a leadless as when we were kids.”

     “We survived that if you remember,” Ruby announced as she got up from Weiss’ lap. Weiss needed to get away from this particular problem, Ruby needed to talk to her about another, though hopefully solved problem. So, it was time for a reprieve, a sweet distraction before more bad stuff. “So I’ve decided I’m going to make you dinner.”

     “Why?” Tonight as meticulously planned, Ruby was going to wine and dine her with the best, seduce her, enjoy a movie after, and then when they lay content, in bed, ruin the whole mood by telling her about Vermillion. Maxing out her exhaustion and contentment, creating a relaxed environment, all of these are basic Schnee handling techniques she had mastered over their years together.

     “Because I absolutely am in love with every inch of your being and if I don’t overly treat you from time to time I will literally die.” Ruby added a lighthearted tinge to her overly dramatic call, wrapping her arms around Weiss from the side and snuggling into the pale beauty of her neck. God she smelled of such a pleasant perfume, scented with wildflower without being overbearing, Weiss was delicious.

_Don’t seduce yourself Ruby._

     Weiss tilted her head away from the screen to deliver a sweet kiss on Ruby’s cheek. “Did you break something? You can tell me if you broke something.” Ruby dropped her face into the crook of her wife’s neck unable to hold back the laughs. “Did you break your eye again?”

     “No! One, I never broke my eye alright, I only needed to take it out and replace the artificial lense it after the flash bang went off and two, I can be physical with you and not break something.”

     “I know you can be physical, and you can be sickeningly sweet, but both at the same time, you broke something, and the more you hide it, the more bitchy I’m going to become about it.” Weiss’ tone shifted to to a cool calculated mother’s, though her hand did come up to gently massage Ruby’s jaw line.

     “Can you let me do everything nice first? We can have a romantic dinner, be sweet on each other, it’ll be way more fun. Just pretend you didn’t notice my plot and we can all enjoy this way more before we get to the uncomfortable section.”

     “Wow, you really must have screwed up,” Weiss whispered, dropping her hand to prepare herself mentally. Weiss had always had the devil’s temper, but having kids, or more trying to be a good parent had taught her fantastic coping skills to control her anger. Ruby was quite proud

     “I maintain that I am in the right in this situation, but circumstances led to waiting that was uncalled for. In the end I know you’ll agree with me, however that does not excuse a lack of pro-action.” Ruby sucked in one hell of a deep breath, stared up into Weiss’ eyes and prepared her speech.

     It never happened.

     “ _Hello_ ,” A distorted voice came on from Weiss’ scroll. Then Ruby’s, than the TV.  Each playing the same thing, audio with the faces of two Faunus and a video playing below it, recorded from some security camera, the two of them could see the old Khan age White Fang flag in the corner of the footage. “ _I am one of Vale’s concerned citizens. To all of you listening, especially the authorities, i hope you act on what I’m about to show you._ ”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is a utter mess and wayyy tooo long, but more than that it took way too long to come out. It’s be restructured so many times and while I never could find a right way to do this one, it needed to happen to sort of close out the Vermillion arch for now, (not that it won’t come up again) This is all made worse with being down an editor, so if anyone would like to work on helping me clean Summer’s Vale up let me know!
> 
> I reassure you no matter what happens I’m not dropping this fic or any of the fics I do alone, even if it feels like it. This last year or so has been one heck of a trip. I can’t promise any set release schedule with Senior year being so packed, but I’ll do what I can.
> 
> So I decided to do Lore bits for Summer’s Vale in the A/N. The Guardians: After Qrow’s passing and Ironwood’s retirement, and with Glynda’s searching with Oscar for Ozpin, the last of Ozpin’s old cabal vanished from their positions of power. To replace them, Weiss and Jaune conceived of the Guardians. They would work in cells in each of the kingdoms and collect, maintain, and protect from misuse the last vestiges of magic in remnant as well as work for the good of all peoples, not just the four kingdoms. Without Salem, the heavy handed control was not needed. Each guardian cell could decide things by consensus, preventing the abuses of power found in Ozpin’s cabal, though much authority remains effectively with the founding members: Weiss, Ruby, Blake, Jaune, Ren, Nora, and Winter. Notably, and perhaps most painfully. Yang refuses to join the Guardians officially until they changed their policy on keeping magic a secret and working from the shadows. Her choice would later convince others like Coco, and the Headmaster of Shade to follow in her protest.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Everyone! This is the first chapter of my New Future AU called Summer's Vale. Thanks so much for taking the time to try it out! Really want to thank everyone who have been supporting me and especially people like LazyKatze who has edited for me and Chezforshire who did the cover art (if you're reading on ff) which is actually a small piece of a bigger piece of art for Summer Schnee.
> 
> So yes this story will heavily involve OC children of RWBY, I understand if that makes you all nervous, but I was really excited to give it a try. The chapters are about half them half RWBY doing adult stuff (though the next few chapters will be RWBabies heavy because it's just getting them started.) I hope you guys know I'm worth your time as a writer and you give them a shot, if not I understand.
> 
> Next bit probably has both people not familiar with the Vale AU and is confused. Well if you didn't read the Vale AU (which Id assume is most of you especially on Archive). Spoilers White Rose and Bumblebee happened and Weiss took over her company. There, you're caught up lol, but those who are are probably wondering about how I've incorporated Volume 3. Well with every new Vale addition I always drag in the events of the show. All the events of all the volumes, (and I mean all of them) happened, just as they did in the show (even Pyrrha, trust me I'll get to that). When conflicts arise between them, default to the show. I actually have been considering going back and updating the old fics to match the show (wouldn't take much), but consider it a loosey goosey they both happened, just with a few details a little different.
> 
> Anyways Thanks so much see you around! Review and let me know what you think!


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